Trinity Blood: The Second Coming
by Dienekes
Summary: After their mutual fall, Abel and Cain's epic battle is ended temporarily. Not reporting back to the Vatican after the battle, Abel is presumed dead, and for the Vatican his absence could not come at a worse time. It's picking up speed!
1. Chapter 1: Section 1

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming (Edited)

**Chapter 1: Prevailing Darkness**

**Section 1: The Conception**

Disclaimer- (This will act as my disclaimer for the entire story, so that I do not need to repeat it) I do not own Trinity blood or the characters involved.

_(Somewhere in the foothills surrounding Londinium.)_

"Jacob! Get down from there right now!" his father ordered sternly balancing the old family musket steadily on his shoulder. From his lookout atop of the steep rocks, Jacob had a commanding view of the surrounding countryside.

"Father, I can see everything from up here," Jacob responded, ignoring his father and looking in all directions for the vampire.

"Get down there before you fall!" Jacob's father yelled menacingly. "Kevin saw the vampire much further to the north. If we wait here for you, he'll get away. Would you like that you insolent little whelp?" Jacob recognized that tone. Its sharpness warned of strict punishment if he did not comply immediately, so Jacob descended from the steep, rocky slope with all possible haste.

"I'm sorry father," He said submissively after sliding down the rest of the way. Angry, and not yet ready to forgive him, his father merely snorted. Jacob was glad that his father didn't hit him, because the slope had injured him enough. _It was stupid of me to slide down. I will have bruises all over my back now. _

"Let's go." The small band began their march again, each member brandishing a different weapon. Numbering at twelve, only five of them had firearms.

They only marched for a few more minutes before Kevin announced that they had arrived to where he had seen the vampire. The group fanned out, and despite the fact that none of them were hunters, tried to find fresh tracks in the near-frozen dirt. Time passed, and the group began to grow restless. "How could you tell he was a vampire, Kevin?" Jacob inquired, beginning to doubt Kevin's story. _This would not be the first time. _

"His teeth." Kevin insisted. A few other members mirrored Jacob's question in the following minutes, until they had convinced themselves that Kevin had made the whole incident up, and decided to return home.

Just as they were about to depart, Jacob's sharp eyes picked up an odd shape poking out from the top of a large rock. As his concentration centered on the object, it's outline became unmistakable to him. "You there!" Jacob shouted, raising his gun. The object quickly darted behind the rock, and began flee at an inhuman speed. Clenching his pistol with his other hand, he steadied his shaking grip and pulled the trigger.

- - - -

_(Rome: In the Vatican) _

Her hands began to tremble. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her gaze fell to the ground. "It cannot be," Cardinal Caterina whispered, but she already knew that it was true. _Compose yourself. You are a Cardinal in the Pope's court. _She returned her gaze back to the messenger and nodded.

However, her brother, Cardinal Francesco, did not show nearly as much regret. "He died well, and I am certain he has earned his place in heaven," He said simply.

"Tell me how you found him." Caterina demanded, ignoring her brother.

The messenger bit his lip nervously. "There was a huge explosion in the sky... many beams of energy. We did not find his entire body, Cardinal. We found a section of the wing, blown off by a powerful blast. Black feathers are turning up throughout all of Londinium."

"You found only his wing? So Abel could still be alive?" Caterina asked, a brief spark of hope igniting within her.

"That is possible, but the level of the battle going on between those two was so immense, that any hit that would blow off his wing, would most likely have blown his body into many small pieces, which, I am sorry to say, means death for Abel, no matter how strong he might have been." Realizing the messenger's words to be true, Caterina's fragile spark was extinguished and her sadness returned.

"Thank you. I would like you to relay my orders to all Vatican troops stationed in the area to gather together whatever remains of Abel you can find and bring them back to Rome." _He was always there, and now he is gone forever. What will become of our empire without him? _

"You forget yourself sister!" Francesco announced. "Also order our troops to gather the remains of any other Vatican troops that may have perished in the battle. I think it would be proper for the Pope to dedicate a memorial to their sacrifice." _Announcing the pope's intentions when he is still in Albion. My brother has been growing even more arrogant lately. _Caterina bit her tongue, knowing that her anguish might lead her to say something she would regret.

"You're right, of course." She answered, smiling coldly._ Even when I hear of Abel's death, the politics continues._

- - - -

_(Inside Londinium) _

"Your highness." The servant said, bowing his head respectfully. Esther suddenly became embarrassed that she had forgotten the servant's name. With his head still bowed, Esther finally remembered. _He is waiting for me. _

"Yes?" Esther asked. The servant finally raised his head, but still not to eye level.

"A man by the name of Leon wishes to see you. He claims to know you."

"Leon? Yes, let him in." A few moments later, Leon came, accompanied by a few armed escorts, which eyed him suspiciously. Leon shook his head, cursing. "They patted me down and took all my weapons." He complained to Esther. "It's really not necessary, you know." Her servant bristled at Leon's blatant lack of formality with Esther, which Leon soon recognized. "I apologize, your highness." He said, nodding his head down briefly.

"Don't worry. I am still getting used to this myself." She admitted. "What is it, Leon?"

"When I get back to the Vatican, they will make me serve my remaining ten year sentence..."

"Do you wish me to see if I can have you pardoned?" Esther asked.

"That would be great!" He replied enthusiastically, but his smile faded as he reached into his pocket. Seeing this, the guards leveled their weapons at him. "Hey hey hey... you already got all my weapons, remember?" He withdrew his hand, pulling from his jacket a large black feather.

"I found this in the street. Two children were playing with it and I took it from them. It's Abel's."

"Abel's?" Esther asked, sadness suddenly overcoming her again.

"I wont have anywhere to put this when I'm in prison. I want you to have it to keep. At least until I've served my sentence." He offered her the black feather. It was crusted with dirt and what looked like a small spot of blood.

"Thank you Leon." She whispered weakly, taking the feather and examining it. "This means so much to me." _Had I not arrived in the Ghetto, he would have finished Cain. I am the cause of all of this. _Leon smiled formally, and exited the room, leaving Esther alone. The guards followed Leon out, and her servant melted into the darkness after giving her a customary bow.

Cradling the feather in her hands, she walked over to her rich, mahogany desk and began to scrub the dirt off of the feather with the hem of her skirt, staining it brown, but she did not care. _If he is dead, then he will exist in this form. Here, with me to remind me of his gentle compassion. _"You protected me for so long, and sheltered me. You treated me with kindness and showed me hope when I had none. For that, I will always remember you Abel," she whispered, as she had by his tomb. _And I will always love you. _Esther closed her eyes and felt her watery eyes begin to overflow as the dam that had been holding her emotions finally gave way. She fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably with the feather clenched in her hands.


	2. Chapter 1: Section 2

Trinity blood: The Second Coming(Edited)

**Chapter 1- Prevailing Darkness**

**Section 2- Grief and Rage**

_(In the foothills surrounding Londinium) _

But the bullet never got the chance to fire. Instead, the gun exploded into splinters before Jacob's eyes. Accompanied by a sharp jab of pain, one splinter buried itself into his palm, and he dropped to the ground in pain as blood began to leak from the open wound. "Enough!" A man shouted with a voice that seemed to shake the earth beneath their feet.

Turning, Jacob saw the man. He was tall, and dressed in a heavy, grey cape, and large Pauldrons marked with the Vatican insignia. He was also pointing a smoldering pistol at the group. "This serves no purpose. Drop your weapons." He said coolly, with a threatening edge to his voice. His white hair whipped around him, mirroring the motion of the restless wind. He had the look of a broken man. Someone who had witnessed something so horrifying and dark that his soul had been turned dark as well. Something about the man scared Jacob as he lay on the ground, still. Beside the Vatican man, the young boy that Jacob had shot at appeared. He was small, with short, light hair and piercing red eyes. Eyes that shone of intelligence beyond the young man's years.

"Vampire!" Kevin shouted with a mixture of both terror and distaste. The strange Vatican man fired a warning shot over their heads in response.

"Drop your weapons," he repeated.

Jacob's father, who still had his rifle shouldered, narrowed his eyes. "You harbor a vampire, and you shoot at my son to defend that vampire? You drop your weapon, mister." Relying on his usual speed, he swung his rifle around to match the man's threat. Without hesitation, the man aimed his gun and fired. Jacob's father dropped to the ground, clenching his shoulder.

This initiated the battle. The small band charged swinging their weapons about with the intention of shooting the Vatican attacker. "Die you Vatican scum!" one man shouted. A few brave ones charged ahead of the rest, ready to swing their bats and other implement, but the stranger anticipated this.

"I will not let you harm him!" the Vatican man shouted. Charging forward, he fired as he ran, flanked by his vampire companion. All of his bullets hit true, splintering guns and people to the ground in broken piles. One of the strongest men, Davis, in the front of the group, was the first to meet the stranger in close combat. He lunged directly at him with a long wooden spear. The man skillfully dodged the point, and quickly pulled the spear, jerking Davis forward. As Davis fell, the man hit him on the side of his head with the butt of his pistol, sending him sprawling to the ground. _This is no ordinary priest, _Jacob thought as he watched the carnage.

The young vampire with the stranger moved with such agility, that most of the band originally lost his location, until he fell upon them from behind, knocking Kevin in the head with a large rock. Others turned on him, but their weapons couldn't touch him, and he lashed out with such ferocity, that they didn't stand a chance.

Between the two of them, the band was reduced to a pile of moaning and broken bodies in seconds. The only person who wasn't terribly injured was Jacob, who still lay on the ground, clutching his wounded hand. "Who are you?" he asked in disbelief.

_My name is Abel. _"It is not important who I am." His vampire companion lashed out, kicking Jacob's wounded father in the gut, earning a moan of pain. "Enough Ion!" Abel snapped. Ion stopped and nodded. "You there," Abel said, addressing Jacob. He approached, and pulled him to his feet.

"Yes?" Jacob asked shakily. Backing away a few steps from the killer-priest.

"None of these men will die from the wounds we've given them. Run to the nearest hospital, and make sure that they are all properly treated." Jacob was still frozen on the spot, scared from what he had just witnessed. Glancing around, Abel saw that it was quite possible that some of them would die. _I am no longer a priest. _

Abel glanced back, seeing that Jacob had not yet started off. "Run!" Abel commanded. _Every second he wastes could cost a life. _

"Yes sir!" Jacob replied, rising to his feet, and sprinting away as fast as he could to the edge of town.

After he had disappeared in the distance, Abel turned to Ion. "This time, no one will get in my way. We have a new mission, you and I, and that is to root out Contra Mundi. I can no longer do that as a servant of the Vatican. I can no longer play by their rules. As long as my brother lives, we must forget our compassion, for the threat he poses to humanity is greater than they could ever imagine."

"Where will we go next?" Ion questioned.

"To the New Human Empire. There is someone I must meet." _We cannot afford to travel by airship. We must find another means of getting to my sister. _

- - - -

_(Inside the Royal Palace of Londinium) _

"Queen Esther," she whispered to herself. She doubted if she could ever grow accustomed to the title, after spending so much of her life as a nun, mostly ignored or underappreciated. But now all of that had changed, every citizen she passed payed her respect, even if they did so grudgingly. She could tell that they did not trust her yet. _And why should they? A Vatican agent has just been announced as their Queen. _

Stroking the feather absent-mindedly, she wiped a tear preemptively from her eye. Her servant, who's name she still did not know, approached slowly. "What is it?" she asked, not wanting to wait for him to begin the elaborate process of being allowed to speak.

"Bad news, My Queen. Apparently some of the vampire separatists escaped to the surrounding hills of the city. There has been an attack, and there is one confirmed death." Esther sighed, burying her head in her hands. _I don't know if I can do this job, _she thought.

"Do we have any units that are capable of hunting down vampires?" she asked. She stroked the tip of the feather, and found that it was much softer than the rest. _If only I could have seen Abel's soft side. The side of himself that he has never shown me before. _Like the feather, most of Abel's outward act was a facade, concealing what emotions truly ran beneath. She desperately yearned to experience those emotions with Abel, but now it was too late.

"No, Your Highness, but I am sure that our conventional forces can handle them."

"Like they handled them down in the Ghetto?" Esther questioned sharply. The servant turned his face away as if struck. "I know the perfect unit to deal with this problem."

"My Queen, you can't possibly mean AX... they..."

"They what?" she cut in questioningly.

"Forgive me." The servant said, not answering her question, but bowing and walking away. _But he is never far... _

"Servant!" Esther called, knowing he would scurry to her at her command.

"Yes, Your Excellency." _He calls me something new every time, _she realized.

"Call in whoever it is who is in control of the military of this empire. I will need him to provide AX with a contact when they arrive." Esther said. _Perhaps I have said too much. _

- - - -

_(In a guest residence at the Vatican) _

_Curse these Terrans, _Astaroshe Asran thought to herself. She had been in Rome for three days, and only the first one had been spent negotiating with the Terran Cardinal, Caterina. Of course, the Empress had dispatched her to make diplomatic contact with the Cardinal and to assist them in any missions for which she would be well suited, but she had spent most of the time in her room.

Ever since the incident in Albion, the court's attention was focused on their handling of the affairs there, and everyone seemed to forget about her. Ion had run off to Albion as well, depriving her of her only companion. _I hate that little brat. He doesn't know how much I want to go to Londinium. He doesn't know how much I want to grieve over Abel's grave, but that is not my place. I am a servant of the empire. _

Despite all this, she decided to go out for one last night to Rome. Although sight-seeing was usually not her favorite activity, Rome would become a high-priority target in any war with the Vatican, and it would help the empire if she familiarized herself with the city's defenses. _Not all treaties are permanent, _she thought with a bemused smile.

Setting out, she traveled the city's dark streets, looking for the city's armories. _They are probably near the barracks', _she realized. Walking roughly, she did not allow herself to slow down, resorting to shoving a few Terrans out of her way. "Bitch," one hissed. Astaroshe smiled, showing her elongated fangs. Seeing this, the Terran ran away as quickly as he could. _They are hostile only to those that are weaker than them, and they fear all the rest._ Chuckling, she continued, until she came upon a small group of soldiers, who were talking loudly. She decided to listen to what they were saying.

"... just know that a soldier from the sixth core wouldn't get this kind of treatment." Another soldier nodded in agreement.

"Why is it that we have to attend this damnable funeral? It's just one god damn priest." This earned a laugh from the group. Something within Astaroshe's chest seemed to set on fire as she tried to hold back her rage, but having the soldiers insult Abel's memory was too much for her to bear.

"You insolent dog!" Astaroshe shouted, seething with rage. One soldier turned in surprise, just to see the blur of a fist approaching his face. Striking his jaw, his bone cracked, and he tumbled backwards into the wall of the barracks.

"Stupid bitch!" another soldier shouted, running at her wildly. She side-stepped his charge easily, and threw him through a store window ten yards away. She turned and smacked the gun-hand of another soldier as he was drawing his pistol, sending the back of the gun into his nose, breaking the Terran's feeble bone. She lifted her arm to strike one of the wounded men, but was interrupted by a voice.

"Duchess Astaroshe Asran. Cease immediately, you are preforming an unauthorized action. Acknowledge." The man had a strangely unhuman voice. _They must have had this cyborg trailing me since I arrived, _she thought. Shooting a glare his way, she dropped her hand and walked away from the moaning soldiers.

"They deserved much more than what they got," She said, still angry from what the soldier had said.

"Positive." Tres replied. "If authorized, I would have preformed similar actions." They walked for a few more minutes in complete silence, when Astaroth turned to Tres, remembering what the soldiers had said.

"When will they have Abel's funeral?" She inquired.

"It is planned to occur at precisely 1400 hours tomorrow. I have been informed that you are allowed to attend if you wish it."

_I owe him at least that, _she thought. "I'll be there."

- - - -

Helltanz98- Thank you for the correct name. I actually got Astaroth from the subtitled version from Japanese, and there must have been an error, because all other sites I checked seemed to agree with your spelling, so I changed it.


	3. Chapter 1: Section 3

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming (Edited)

**Chapter 1: Prevailing Darkness**

**Section 3: Remembrance**

Note: The Eulogy was wicked hard. You guys have no clue how difficult it is for two atheists to brainstorm that speech done by the pope himself. Enjoy!

_(On the island of Sassnitz, in Northern Germanicus)_

Yet again, he was all alone, and for the second time, it was all Abel's fault. _Through the centuries, I recollected myself, and the only thing that kept me going was to Set things straight with you brother... and with humanity. _Now it was done. Nothing could have survived that explosion, and Abel had been right in the middle of it. Cain had fired the beam of light himself, colliding with Abel's energy burst just as Abel fired it, it combined and created an unholy energy ball that swallowed Abel, engulfing him.

_It is not enough, _Cain thought. _He was cherished and will be celebrated, while I am still despised or unknown. When I am done creating my new world order, Abel will be despised, and I will assume my rightful place. _Even at this point, nine-hundred years after he had been jettisoned into space, Cain's body would not hold together for long periods of time. After the battle, he barely made it back into his recuperation unit before his body became completely useless. Only after resting for five days did he get the ability to leave again.

As he pondered this, a loud beeping caught his attention, and he realized he had forgotten to turn off the chamber. _Isaak always did that for me, but now he is dead as well. _Isaak had been the one piloting the ship that was going to take Albion apart piece by piece, cleansing the corrupt city with his pure flame, but the Order had underestimated the human resistance. In fact, the Order had completely failed him. This failure could not go unpunished. The Rozenkruez Orden would need to perish. _Or perhaps I will make an example of one of them. _

"Sir... the others are waiting for you," a servant said, bowing to the ground. _Annoying insects, these vampires. _

"Call a meeting," Cain said carelessly. "Make sure everyone is there. It will be very important. In fact, tell them that if they do not attend, it will be the death of them." Thinking about what just said, Cain erupted into a heavy fit of laughter.

"Yes sir," the servant said, rushing away. _I like this one, _Cain thought.

Fitting on his clothes, which had been washed clean of the dust and bits of human blood that stained them from before, Cain strolled towards the meeting hall at his normal carefree pace. He neared the heavy oak, double doors, and could hear frantic conversation behind them. _Good, let them be scared. _

Opening them with one heavy push, they slammed against the walls, knocking dust with the ceiling, earning him complete silence from the twelve member council. (Down from the previous 15)

"Greetings Cain. We are glad to see that you are okay," the new leader of them said, with a smile so fake that it made Cain sick.

"And I you," Cain replied. _So I can deal with you all myself. _

"We have been discussing how to best take advantage of our latest victory. We have been thinking about making our move on Rome." His nervousness betrayed him, however.

"Do you really think that the travesty in Albion was a victory?" Cain asked simply.

"Abel was slain, and Albion is in ruin."

"Do you remember our objective?"

"To destroy Albion..."

"You have a very short memory. I seem to remember the objective as the firing of the Albion missile into Rome, starting the ... second largest war the world has ever seen. Have we done this?" Cain asked, allowing only a slight degree of malice to enter his voice.

"No sir, when you put it that way..." Cain cut him off before he could finish.

"Let me put it _this _way" Cain answered, raising his arm.

"No sir! Please Noooo." With one motion of his fingers, the man's head exploded, ending his scream and allowing his decapitated body to fall limp to the ground.

As the shocked members were showered with bits of brain and skull fragments, Cain took his seat at the head of the table. "You have all failed me," Cain muttered.

"Please sir!" one man said, raising his arm towards him. _Insolent bug. _Cain answered by raising his arm and with another swift motion, blowing the man's arm off at the socket. He screamed, rolling on the ground in agony. The others were to scared to move.

"Someone get him a doctor," Cain said calmly, getting out of his chair. As he was about to exit the door, he muttered under his breath. "I have a funeral to attend."

- - - -

_(Abel's Vatican funeral procession) _

The procession was to march through the heart of the Vatican, and then stop before the entrance to the Papal palace. There, the Pope would give an Eulogy that Caterina had written herself. _I only hope the young boy doesn't botch it. Abel deserves our best efforts. _Caterina remembered just what Abel had meant to her. It was no secret that Caterina loved Abel with all her heart, an infatuation that came from the fact that Abel had saved her life on countless occasions, and carried about him a disarming demeanor. Just recently, he had shielded her with his own body, almost losing his life in the process, but now he was gone.

Esther had made the trip down from Albion, a move, which could be very damaging politically. The people of Albion were very weary of Esther, a nun working for the Vatican, who was not even brought up on the island now ruled them. _There will be riots, _Caterina figured. The fact that Esther was now taking a break from her rule of Albion to pay respects to a single father working for the Vatican would amplify those tensions.

Caterina took a second to observe the young Queen. _She is still too young. It will take time for her to learn how to govern properly. _

Following her gaze, her brother, Francesco, chuckled. "You have done well, sister. With one of our nuns in control of Albion, we can guarantee that they support us in any war against the vampires," He said. "I wonder... did you set it up? Did you threaten that young scholar, or..."

"She is the heir," Caterina snapped back.

"Whatever you say, sister," He replied, bemused. Francesco had been up to his normal activities, insisting that the two Vatican soldiers who perished in Albion be added together with Abel, and a monument would be erected to the three of them. It made the soldiers happier, but Abel deserved much more.

Caterina was relieved when the diplomat from the New Human Empire, Astaroshe, walked into their booth. _I swear, one day it will come to violence between my brother and I, _she thought with a smile.

Soon, the procession was at an end, and the coffins were lain in the street. Members of AX were scattered throughout the procession. Leon had insisted on being one of the pallbearers. At this point, the Pope began to speak. His voice wavered at first, but he regained his composure.

"I often ask myself how one should best live life, and until my capture in Albion, I did not fully understand. I understand now the importance of this earthly test, set upon us by God himself. Each of us has our own individual test, and when I am confronted by mine, I can only wish that I will preform near to the standards of the three that perished in Albion, Abel Nightroad, Kithern Darknight, and Panterno Geshnen. However, I would like to focus on the sacrifice of one of these brave souls in particular, Abel Nightroad. Since he joined the order a few decades ago, he has dedicated his life to the Vatican. Before he joined us, his life was full of suffering. He started his path of righteousness by saving the life of my dear sister, Caterina,..."

Astaroshe approached and whispered into her ear. "How old was Abel when he saved your life?" Turning, Caterina first eyed her brother wearily, then replied.

"There is something that you have a right to know. I feel bad that no one knows what a great help Abel was for the Vatican, and what a good man he really was... come with me." She turned to her brother, and spoke up. "Excuse us, brother."

Walking into the shadows of the booth, Caterina began. "There is something that almost no one knows about Abel. Something you probably didn't even realize as you worked with him. Abel... _isn't human._" Astaroshe narrowed her eyes.

"But he's not a vampire." She began to think about all that she had sensed about Abel. The slight feelings that he had given off. Something had always been strange about him, but she couldn't quite place it.

"He's something else," Caterina answered. Suddenly, screams broke out from the procession. Scrambling to see what had happened, Caterina rushed into the booth. Bystanders rushed away from the street in all directions, and in the middle, a winged figure walked calmly towards the coffin.

"What has happened, brother!?" Caterina demanded.

"An angel sent by god himself has descended from the kingdom of heaven to bless the three that perished!" Francesco called out, but not everyone held this view. AX, and several of the guards began firing, but all their munitions were repelled by a purple shield which surrounded him.

"That's no angel..." she muttered. The angel raised his right arm towards the three coffins, and following a tremendous shockwave, they burst into splinters. Walking calmly under gunfire, he stepped over the bodies of many of the pallbearers, and onto the ground where the coffins once stood.

"As Abel's brother, I have come to give a Eulogy of my own!" The intruder shouted, sending rumbles through the earth.

"Cain..." Caterina whispered. _Abel mentioned him only once, and he said his brother's name with such malice... _The city stood still, watching with their breath held, as Cain continued.

"I was shocked to find that I was not invited to this event. I have so many things I wish to set straight with all of you." Unbelievably, he smiled. _He's insane, _she thought. "My brother once was my ally and my friend, but he betrayed me and left me for dead. Now I have done the same to him. And all of YOU!" He yelled loudly, but surprisingly calm. "For 900 years I've suffered, and finally I have my revenge. I've lived in sorrow and pain, while he has lived a carefree existence among you. All of you that have sheltered him, and cared for him, HEAR ME! YOU WILL SHARE IN HIS FATE!"

"ENOUGH!" Astaroshe shouted, almost matching his volume. He swung his gaze, to see a beam of projectile light heading directly for his head. Judging by the power of the hit, she had been charging the shot for almost a minute. Shards of energy shot out in all directions, tearing up the paved street of the city, and knocking down a few surrounding buildings. Onlookers, once entranced by his speech, were knocked down and impaled by the near white/green light. However, when the dust settled, Cain stood exactly as he stood before, except this time, he was laughing, but something very strange happened. His shoulder lost it's solidity and drooped down, almost touching the ground. Cain cursed, and held his elastic flesh with his other hand. "I will exact vengeance upon all of you one-hundred fold. You will all know my suffering!"

Having said this, he stretched out his wings, and propelled himself into the air, flying quickly to the north. Echos of his laughter sounded through the streets of the Vatican.


	4. Chapter 1: Section 4

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 1: Prevailing Darkness**

**Section 4: The Calling**

_(In a town in Northwestern Germanicus)_

In order to travel with Ion, they had been forced to travel only by night, which slowed their progress. _I might need to leave him in the New Human Empire_, Abel considered.

"Would you like something to eat, Mr. Cannings?" The barkeep asked. They had gone by that Alias since they left Albion. Abel could not deny that he was hungry, but he had long since run out of money.

"Ion? How much money do we have?" Abel asked innocently. Ion chuckled.

"Do you mean, how much money do _I_ have?" Ion questioned. Plunging his finger into his bag, he felt around in the coins to judge how many he had. "At the rate that we're traveling, I think it'd be best if we limited you to four Denari a day, Abel."

"Only four Denari!?" Abel asked incredulously, chuckling at his misfortune. _No matter what the battle, I am always allotted the same. That is my curse_. Turning to the barkeep, he smiled. "May I have some tea with thirteen lumps of sugar please?" Abel asked hungrily.

"We're out of sugar." The barkeep replied gruffly. Abel breathed out slowly, and lowered his head into his arms. However, his melancholy only lasted for a few seconds before the silence was interrupted by the knelling of a very large bell in the center of town.

Cocking his head as if he didn't hear it right, the barkeep looked out of front window. "It can't be!" He shouted.

"What?" Abel asked.

"That bell hasn't been used for years. Not since the last great war!" He responded. Despite his weight, the small barkeep moved to the other side of the bar with amazing speed, and unlocked his closet. He soon emerged with a crossbow.

"Look sir, we don't want trouble…" Abel said, reaching for his pistol.

"No, not you." The old Barkeep snarled. "The town is under attack. That bell signals the calling of the town militia. It hasn't been called in decades." _But no one is currently at war with Germanicus, and we just came in through the west. Who could be attacking?_ Abel wondered.  
- - - -

_(In the streets of the Vatican)_

The pandemonium was indescribable. The streets were washed with a blind panic of citizens rushing to exit. _The threats of that madman must have really taken a toll on them,_ Astaroshe figured. At least thirty had died in the initial attack, but there was no telling how many would die in the ensuing mess.

The Cardinal had rushed off soon after the incident, so Astaroshe had been left alone again, so she decided to follow the crowd. They all seemed to be heading in the same direction, which was the southern exit from the city, but as they got closer, the streets got denser and the crowds slowed. _The Vatican must be sealing off the exits_, she realized. Indeed, when she got to the wall, she saw a line of soldiers with the Pope and the two Cardinals perched on a hastily erected balcony.

"Everyone… please stop. I command you to stop!" The young Pope yelled in his familiar timid voice, but the crowd paid him no heed, and continued to push against the wavering line of soldiers. Faced by the citizens they had been entrusted to protect in such numbers that would easily overrun them, they showed signs that the line would soon disintegrate.

Hoping to stop the situation, Cardinal Francesco spoke up. "Citizens of the Vatican!" He shouted. Hearing his voice, many of the crowd grew silent. "You have seen the forces of darkness arrayed against us, and it is true that darkness is a formidable foe, but with the help of God, we can and will vanquish them!"

"It is you that will be vanquished!" One man shouted back from within the crowd. _Oh no_, Astaroshe thought with a grimace. _He's going to say something stupid_. Caterina saw this too, and attempted to get the attention of her brother, but it was too late.

"Who said that? Who dares to say that to the earthly representative of God himself!" Francesco waited a few seconds before continuing. "Reveal yourself coward! It is the darkness that hides within the shadow! Reveal yourself!"

"The Vatican is corrupt. God punishes us because of you." Another citizen answered from another side of the crowd. This time, the one that said it was in plain view.

"Arrest that man!" Francesco called out to one of his bodyguards. "Arrest him on grounds of treason, heresy, and blasphemy against the church!" From that point, the situation quickly deteriorated. _That soldier will not last a second in the crowd, let alone arrest anyone,_ she realized. Despite this, the young soldier pushed into the crowd, Astaroshe watched as they began to throw rocks and other small objects. However, he continued forward. Soon, they began striking him, and he collapsed underneath the surge.

Astaroshe looked up, and saw that a fire had started in the middle of the square. Looking around, she saw many other fires. Looters began ransacking public buildings. _This is completely out of control._

She rushed forward towards the pile that had formed over the last location of the young soldier. Throwing many of the citizens aside, Astaroshe pulled the bleeding and broken man from beneath them and began to carry him back to the line. "Bitch!" One called out, and a few moments later, a large chunk of thrown stone smashed into the back of her skull. She momentarily lost her footing, and a few of the rioters fell upon her. Touching the back of her head, her hand came back bright with her own blood. Her eyes came into focus to see a man charging at her with a chair-leg in his hand. Meeting his hand halfway down, she squeezed his fingers, crumpling his hand into a shriveled ball. Screaming, he fell, and the other wearily backed off.

She made her way to the line, and then collapsed, unconscious.

- - - -  
_(On an Airship heading to Albion)_

"We have bad news, my queen." Her servant said, bringing her a large tray of grapes. _This lavish treatment will take getting used to_, Esther thought.

"I couldn't possibly eat all of these, please, help yourself." She offered.

"Those are your grapes, your excellency. It is not my place." He said, bowing.

"I'm _making_ it your place. If you want a grape, eat one." After considering it a few seconds, the servant took a grape from one of the lesser stems and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, Esther remembered what he had said.

"What is this bad news?" She questioned. _It would probably be much more efficient if I asked him what the good news was, and assumed everything else was falling apart._

"The city of Rome is in full riot. There have been many deaths." Esther nodded. She was not surprised; the spectacle that Cain provided during Abel's funeral would be enough to induce any city, no matter how civilized, into pandemonium. Her bodyguards had rushed her from the scene as soon as he appeared.

"Will they hold on?" Esther asked.

"Yes, it appears so, but that is not all." The servant lowered his eyes, leading her to think that this news would be even worse than the last.

"What else?" Esther asked fearfully.

"There's a new pamphlet circulating around Albion, but we don't know who's printing it." He said softly, looking to the ground. "It's not favorable of your rule, your highness."

"Let me see it." Esther demanded.

"It would be better if…"

"Show me the pamphlet!" She yelled, causing him to jump in surprise.

"Yes, my queen." He said, running out of the room. Soon after he left, Mary Spencer entered, wearing the same uniform that she had been wearing when Esther met her, but the dust had been washed off.

"Mary!" Esther greeted joyfully. "I would like congratulate you on your work during the attack! It's worth commendation, perhaps a promotion, or something." Mary smiled, but shook her head.

"I'm happy where I am, your highness. I'm here about something else…" She bit her lip, but managed to show a bit of a smile.

"What is it?" Esther asked, sad again.

"I've seen the common people on the streets, and their reaction to you, my lady. When you spoke out from behind those gates, you inspired them, and tales of that spread throughout Londinium. The rest of the country, however, doesn't see you as one of them. All they see, when they see you is a woman from the Vatican."

"And?" Esther asked, growing impatient.

"I only would like to beg you to make yourself their Queen. Show them that you work for them, and not the Vatican." She said.

"You imply that I do not?" Esther asked.

"No, my queen, I am simply saying that the people may see it that way." She replied nervously. Esther nodded.

"I will take that under consideration." Esther answered.

"My Queen!" Her servant announced from the hallway. "I have the pamphlet." After taking it from his outstretched hands, Esther opened it and began to read aloud.

"Citizens of Albion, our country has recently been attacked. Not only by the devilish forces from afar, but also by the Vatican. We have uncovered evidence that the new Queen's lineage is of questionable origin, and possibly fabricated. Vatican storm troopers and secret police have since occupied our great city of Londinium. Of course, they have been there to protect us against further terrorist attacks, but when a government's legitimacy feeds upon the people's fear of attack from a shadowy enemy, we must only assume that this shadowy enemy is being made up by the papal powers which occupy us so we will acquiesce to their tyranny. Support Duke Erin, the true king of Albion."

Mary Spencer shook her head. "That thing's been spreading like wildfire all over the island. It's completely false, but that doesn't matter. There are still those who believe its claims. This could lead to civil war."

- - - -  
_(Inside an underground complex in the city of Byzantium)_

"Endre. You have been charged and found guilty of multiple murders, attempted murder of the Pope, and treason against the New Human Empire." Seth said, walking next to the table. Endre was strapped down with leather bonds and chains, which coated his body. _For years we have waited for a suitable and ethical vampire specimen. Now we can finally begin the first test stages._

He tried to say something, but it was inaudible because of the gag placed deep into his mouth. "Inject him." Seth ordered. The injection was a result of years of study done by scientists appointed by Seth. Their purpose was to inoculate vampires, who were the backbone of the New Human Empire, from sensitivity to light. _Finally, we will see if our work paid off,_ Seth thought.

(Warning: Technojargon)

They injected Endre at multiple points into his bloodstream, infusing it with an artificial virus. Thousands of these viruses would embed themselves in Endre's cells, and reproduce without killing the original host cells. Each of these viruses had been implanted with a small amount of silver. So, when the cells went berserk from the exposure to sunlight, and began to devour each other, the silver would be released, temporarily rendering the exposed skin mortal. And all my subjects would be free to walk in the sunlight.

(/Warning)

"We will wait 96 hours, so that the pathogen has sufficiently embedded itself in Endre's body. Then we will expose him to the UV rays. Good work everyone."

"Empress, a man is here to see you…"

"I'm busy, he can see you. Talk to him, and then relay his message back to me."

"Yes, Empress." Seth watched Endre as he struggled against his restraints. _Poor, pathetic thing_. It was only a few more seconds until her bodyguard came back.

"He said that Astaroshe sent him. A winged figure descended upon the coffin of a Vatican priest, Abel Nightroad, and made a declaration which has put the city into turmoil."

"Did he take the body?" Seth questioned.

"No, from what he said, the figure only destroyed the procession." _There must not have been much of Abel's nanites left to absorb if Cain did not take the body. Still, I am the only Crusnik that can stand against him. If Cain cannot convince me to join him, he will kill me as well. He will not let anyone stand in his way. Abel tried to stop him, and now he is gone_. Seth began to consider if she would, in fact, join Cain. _He's too powerful for me alone. _

- - - -


	5. Chapter 2: Section 1

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming (Edited)

**Chapter 2: The Tides of War**

Note: I am delighted by all the reviews I'm getting here! Thank you all for your input, and thank you, Nanashi for your input. However, before I began to write, I did a lot of research, and did read the canon translation site.

Note: Everyone! If I do something wrong... one awkward sentence, let me have it. I can take it ;D. TY all readers!

Note: And let me say here and now that my friend and I have thought up a marvelous concept for maximum enjoyment for the rest of this series. I'd like to thank him for his support.

_(In a Town in the Northwest of Germanicus)_

"Whatever it is, I can't leave," Ion said with a grim frown. "The sun is still in the sky. I will be burnt alive if I go now." Abel looked outside, and saw that he was right. The sun loomed menacingly in the sky, and its white light would mean Ion's death if he left the shelter of the house.

"You wait here, Ion. I'll check it out," Abel said.

As the barkeep was about to leave, Abel tapped him on the shoulder. "What?" he asked dismissively as he rechecked his crossbow.

"Can I come with you?" Abel asked.

"Sure, you might be of some help. You're a strapping young lad." Abel was about to scoff at being called young, but then noticed the age of the barkeep and changed his mind.

"Stay down Ion. If they come, don't try and be brave. I shouldn't be far." Abel cautioned. Ion nodded sullenly. _My telling him to be cautious shames him. These vampires have very tender egos_.

Following the barkeeper, Abel made his way to the center of town. The scene was a confused mess of men and a few women of varying ages and weapons.

"Now just tell us exactly what happened, Ted!" One man yelled. Looking around, Abel saw a man begin to speak. His forehead was matted with blood that came from a gash above his brow. _He must have been attacked_.

"They were wearing all black, and they spoke no words. They charged in with axes… and I think that one of them had a sword. I managed to escape... but father..."

"Vampires?" one asked fearfully.

"Worse." Abel said, cutting in for the first time. The others looked at him, suddenly noticing him for the first time.

"Who is this guy?" Ted asked questioningly.

"He came in late last night with a kid of his. He wants to help," The barkeeper responded.

"Just how do you plan on doing that?" another one asked with a laugh. Abel pulled out his pistol, quickly silencing the crowd.

"I've done it before." A scream from the other end of town suddenly drew their attention. "They're here."

The small group rushed towards the noise. When they arrived, blood had already been spilled. Abel listened to the wailing of a young child, and saw the limbs and lifeless bodies strewn carelessly on the street. _But why such a small town? What importance does this place have to Contra Mundi?_ Blood dripped from a man's opened chest cavity down onto them from the second story. One of the militiamen lost his stomach, and vomited on the ground. A few of them were shaking in fear.

The black-clad undead soldiers assembled themselves across the breadth of the street. Abel began firing aimed shots. "Get behind me!" He shouted, but the group was routed in their spots, so Abel advanced in front of them, still firing. For the most part, the soldiers took his bullets without much effect, save the few he hit them in the chest or head. One of the black vampires charged forward, raising his blade. Abel fumbled with his next mag as the blade came down, but before the vampire could complete his stroke an arrow penetrated its throat. Choking, it fell to its knees. More vampires assault troops rounded corners and charged forward. The distinct smell of urine filled the air as one of the militiamen pissed himself. _I'm out of bullets, there is no choice_. He began walking forward as he spoke. "Nano-machine Crusnik 02." He heard another arrow fly from behind him, striking another black-clad vampire. "Initiating operation at 40 limit… Acknowledged."

Finally, the militia backed from Abel, but it was not because he had ordered them to. His hair whipped up into the air, his eyes transformed to bright crimson, and he materialized a huge demonic scythe. "Demon…" one said in horror, backing away. _I am a demon yes, but I am here to protect humans. _

"Stay behind me!" Abel repeated. The undead vampires did not distinguish him from their other targets, so they charged without further hesitation. Swinging his scythe around, he cut the lead soldier in half from the waist, and tore the leg off of another. They continued to charge, however, so he soon had to improvise between the strokes of his mighty blade as opponents leaked through it's swaths.

To deal with the first one that made it through, he swiped at its face and tore off its mask, leaving its skin exposed to the rays of the sun, it faltered and tried to cover its face as the skin began to melt, falling in slick sheets from the bone.

He continued the carnage for minutes, and the more he killed, the more blood spilled out into the streets. Soon, clouds of it were forming in a great mist around him, and he began to devour it greedily, and with each drop he could feel his strength grow. Sooner than he would have wished, he ran out of opponents, leaving a pile of dry bodies around him. Licking his lips, he turned to the militia and slowly began transforming back to himself. One of them ran away, but the rest just stared. _I am quite a site, _Abel thought, looking down. His black coat was completely covered with a sheet of crimson. "If it's okay with all of you, I'm going to leave now," Abel said with a feigned carefree smile, but the damage had already been done.

Leaving bloody footprints the entire way, he entered the tavern. "It's over, but we may have a problem."

"What happened?" Ion asked.

- - - -

_(On the walls of Rome)_

The crowds continued to jeer as the soldiers aimed their weapons. "Disperse now!" Caterina commanded. When the rioting got violent, many of them went back to their homes to protect their houses and families, but a few stayed out, defiant of the Vatican blockade.

"Fire a volley over their heads." Caterina ordered. The commander gave the order, and the troops fired. It worked for a couple seconds, but when the crowd realized they weren't being fired upon, they became even more defiant. One protestor dropped to the ground from a bullet that had been shot too low, causing Caterina to grimace. _What a mess_, she thought. Her brother, Francesco, had called in the Inquisitors as a final measure.

Due to injuries sustained in Albion, brother Petros could not lead them, so lady Paula was at the front, wielding two long blades. "Requesting permission to engage!" Paula shouted over the din of the riot. Seeing the shouts of the crowd, and the rocks they threw, it did not take long for Caterina to respond. "Permission granted."

Paula led her men forward, routing the crowd upon impact. Some of the more bloodthirsty inquisitors, such as Paula herself began to run down some of the fleeting civilians. "Break off!" Caterina yelled, but it was too late. The other inquisitors, and some normal soldiers joined in, chasing the civilians down and beating them senseless. _God have mercy on us. The soldiers are too excited, and riled up by their comrades, and they will act like dogs for now, but they are still humans working for God's purpose. Forgive them, and forgive me for putting them in this situation. _Blood now stained ever street of Rome. Off in the distance, Caterina heard shots and screams. A tear dropped from her eye, and she wrapped her arm around her face to hide her weakness.

- - - -

_(In a tower of the wall of Rome)_

Astaroshe woke up with a blinding headache. Slowly opening her eyes, she tried to adjust them to the dim surroundings. "Ahh good. There you are," One man said. He was directly over her, with one hand on her forehead. She swatted it off angrily. Cursing, the man pulled back his hand. "I'm sorry I'm sorry!" he apologized.

"Keep your hands off me," she hissed. She tried to pull herself up onto her feet, and set herself down.

"No, you really shouldn't…" She almost fell to the ground, and had to grab his arm to support herself. _I'm too dizzy_. He guided her back onto the table that she had been laying on.

"You've taken a bit of a hit to the back of the head there, but everything seems to be healed. For a moment, I thought that you had cracked your skull," he said, concerned. "How does it feel?"

"It was cracked." She answered. "Not anymore." In order to attend the funeral, she needed to take a silver tablet, which would momentarily render her mortal, so she could walk in the sun. However, the silver had also stripped her of her regenerative powers, and if it had not worn off when it did, she would have died from her injuries. _I'll remember not to do that again._

Focusing, she realized the man was some sort of field medic with the army. "Thank you for your help," she said.

"I'm just amazed that you're still alive." He stated. _What a fool, he still hasn't noticed_, she thought, smiling. She decided to show her teeth, and flashed the elongated canines in a bright smile. Surprised, he lost his balance from where he was leaning on the nearby wall, and fell onto a table covered with medical equipment.

"Don't worry, I won't bite," she called out, laughing. Pulling himself up, he eyed her cautiously.

"Well, I will trust you, but only because Cardinal Caterina directed me to treat you specifically. In fact, besides you, there's only been one guy I've treated for field injuries worse than that who survived. He was a field agent… Abel…"

"Nightroad." She said, finishing it for him.

"Really? The guy who died in Albion?" The medic asked with a frown. "It's a shame. He was a great guy. But a bit of a goof."

"Yeah," She agreed. _You're a bit of a goof too._ Suddenly, Astaroshe quieted. Thinking of Abel lately seemed to rile up emotions in her she had not experienced for decades. _Why did you need to die, Abel?_ The door swung open, and Caterina entered.

"Ah, you're finally awake." Caterina said. "I feared the worst, so I got the best medic that I could find on the spot. I hope you'll recover fully?"Astaroshe nodded. _If I were to die in this riot, it would deal a devastating blow to the relations with the Empire, it's not strange that she was so concerned. _

"This might not be the best time to ask you this, but Esther had a talk with me as soon as she came in. She asked if we could assist her with a little vampire problem in Albion. Seeing that you've been successful with this sort of thing before, I figured that I'd ask if you wanted to help us."

"Do you know who it is?" Astaroshe asked, not being able to recall any vampires that they had problems with in the past still alive.

"No, this is a new problem. Two upstarts outside of Londinium… A strange man and a child. Will you take the mission once you're fully healed?"

"Yes." _And perhaps I can see the site where Abel fell_, she thought, but for some reason, she expected something else altogether.

- - - -

_(On the Island of Sassnitz, North of Germanicus)_

When Cain awoke the next day to emerge from stasis, the Rozenkruez Orden was buzzing with activity. In the distance, his recuperation chamber began to beep again. _Damn you Isaak, why did you need to die above Albion, _Cain thought, as he retraced his steps to turn it off. _I will need to get another servant to do that for me. _

Almost on cue, the servant from the other day came into the chamber, and bowed obsequiously. "Get up," Cain said, somewhat impatient. "What is it?"

"The others are holding a meeting. They humbly request that you join them." The servant mumbled. He spoke choppily, yet mechanically, as if he had been attempting to memorize the message for a few hours. _He's scared shitless, _Cain thought with a cruel smile. The servant's legs shook visibly.

"Ok, I'll join them," Cain answered apathetically. _I wonder what they have for me this time. _Walking through the halls at his normal slow pace, Cain opened the door to find the meeting almost in a state of celebration.

"Congratulations sir!" One of them cried out.

Sitting down, Cain made the room silent with one icy look. "What has happened," he asked coolly.

"The pamphlet we distributed in Albion is gaining traction. Some of the poor idiots are even printing it!" one of the board members shouted out. _Good, there should be rebellion in no time, _Abel thought with a smug look.

"Your speech at the Vatican has thrown the city into chaos, and it's taking the Vatican's full military to suppress the riots," another one announced, laughing as he said it. _They act as if they've already won. _

"And Germanicus?" Cain asked finally.

"Better than we hoped," the man with one arm answered. "They fragmented their army to deal with our soldiers, thinking that they are bandits. Every encounter between our forces and theirs, they have been completely routed or destroyed. We should soon be ready to move on Berlin."

"How many corpses are left to animate?" Cain asked.

"We only have a couple thousand left," the one-armed man answered.

"Animate them all," Cain ordered, rising to return to his chamber.

"Sir... we're already running at full capacity," he responded.

"Do you like your remaining arm?" Cain asked.

"Yes sir," He responded wearily, backing away a few feet.

"Then get it done," Cain said as he turned. _With the others animated we will have an army of thousands. No military in the world will be equipped to stop us. _Laughing, he reentered his recuperation chamber. _But I will need to talk to him... he will surely have a plan regarding the puppets. _


	6. Chapter 2: Section 2

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 2: The Tides of War **

**Section 2: Unseen and Unheard**

_(Inside a hospital at the Vatican)_

Paula straightened herself out in front of the mirror in the woman's bathroom. She had decided to wear an informal black dress uniform. _I only hope it's not too informal_. Her normal uniform had been stained with blood from the day's work. _It was necessary. The citizens needed a harsh lesson to keep them from straying from the path. The heresy that was circulating that day was unspeakable_, she told herself. She only hoped the blood would wash away.

Brother Petros had finally woken up from his coma. At that time, the Vatican was in the middle of a civil riot._ I can only imagine what he thought when he woke up to this madness_, she thought. She had always regarded Petros as a friend, and lately, just thinking of him made her shiver, but she banished those unclean thoughts from her mind. Smiling into the mirror, she found that she could still do it, and that it was as pretty as ever, but inquisitors rarely smiled.

Straightening her face, she walked into Petros' room. She was amazed at how weak and fragile he looked in his bed. "Brother." She greeted, tilting her head respectively.

"Second in command." Petros answered weakly. Paula lowered her eyes. _Oh, how demeaning it is when he calls me by that title_, she thought.

"I'm glad to see that you are well, brother. With god's help, you will soon re-take command of the men."

"He has decided to spare me for now. He must have work left for me to accomplish." Petros said, and he did something that shocked Paula, and smiled for a brief second. "I am glad to see you, Paula. I feared..." He stopped, coughing loudly, and doubling over onto the bed. With Paula's help, he straightened himself, and sucked in a breath of full air. "I feared that with the rioting going on, you would be injured as well." _He thought of me_? Paula could not help but smile as well.

Petros continued. "When we go out on missions together, I love to work with you. I can tell that we watch each other's backs. I don't want you to doing anything stupid out there until I get out of this bed." He clasped her hand with his, and looked directly into her eyes. She was so taken aback that she almost fell backwards, but she managed to stay still. "Do you understand me?" Petros asked quietly.

"Brother..." She whispered, not breaking his gaze. "Yes, I understand."

- - - -  
_(In a small town in Northwestern Germanicus)_

Abel stepped into the kitchen of the Inn, and began to frantically wash his coat, which was coated with blood. It had started to crust, and Abel worried that it would stain onto his only robe. He had burned his other robe, as well as all other Vatican articles he had been wearing days ago. Ion stood in the doorway, waiting anxiously for Abel to speak. _We're trapped here_, Abel thought. Ion could not leave for many hours, and the villagers had seen what he was.

"They saw me, Ion." Abel said, still scrubbing his robe.

"And..?" Ion asked, not yet grasping what had happened.

"I mean... they saw... what I _am_." Abel clarified. "I lost control, while they were all watching. I could see it in their fear! I could sense it in their breath. They hated me Ion! They will come for us."

"How do you know? You defended them!" Ion demanded. Abel looked out of the window, and saw that a small crowd had begun to form around the Inn. The barkeep stood among the crowd, and they were all armed.

"Come out, demon!" One barked, slightly muffled by the window. This problem was solved, however, when a brick smashed through the window, followed by a few hoots from the mob.

"I will go out to them." Abel said resolutely.

"They'll kill you!" Ion warned.

"I wont let them kill me, but if something happens, hide yourself. There are too many of them for you."

"I can fight!" Ion hissed.

"Do as I say!" Abel shouted. Ion nodded reluctantly. Hearing another brick hit the side of the house, Abel opened the door and walked out. Suddenly, the crowd grew silent.

"What is it?" Abel demanded. "If you had something to say, all you needed to do is come in and talk."

"We don't want to talk to you, beast." The barkeep snarled. "We want you gone. Get out of our village!"

"Hal, he saved our lives..." Kevin protested.

"You want this monster to go around and take em too, Kevin? Shut up!" The crowd roared in agreement.

"Foul, devil spawn!" One man yelled, and from somewhere in the crowd a rock hit Abel in the shoulder.

"I can't leave." Abel said, but he could barely hear his own voice over the din of the crowd. "I CAN'T LEAVE!" Abel shouted. They quieted, looking to Hall, the barkeep.

"Then, I'm afraid we're gona have to make ya leave." He said. Lowering his crossbow. Abel sighed, fingering the handle of his pistol in his coat. _Don't do it, old man_. But, something made Hall lower his weapon. Abel relaxed his grip, relieved.

Looking closer, he saw that a young boy was tapping Hall on the back. "What is it, boy." He asked, annoyed.

"Papa sent me here from Kaltenkirchen to get help! Some men have overwhelmed the town guard, and a regiment of infantry, and are about to attack the walls. He needs help now, or Kaltenkirchen will burn!" The young boy said urgently.

The crowd looked over at Abel. "You must be kidding me." Abel said, chuckling.

- - - -

_(In the Queen's Palace: Londinium)_

"The pamphlet has spread through every city in Albion, but it's generated most traction in the west and north. For the most part, the people of Londinium have dismissed it as a sensationalist fallacy." The chief editor of the Londinium times said first. "I have many friends in the other cities, and they say that there have been meetings, and some protests."

Mary nodded. "My reports confirm that, my Queen."

"What about Duke Erin?" Esther asked.

"He was detained yesterday for questioning. When the troops came into Glasgow to take him in, the cities inhabitants began to..." Mary paused.

"Continue." Esther said, dreading what she would say.

"First they started to swear at the men, then they started throwing things. There was a bit of a scuffle, and two civilians were killed, and a score injured. It would have gotten worse, but the Duke turned himself in. We have begun questioning him."

One General stood up to speak. "An advisor to Duke Erin, himself came to me this morning, and told me some very shocking things. He's waiting in the other room."

"Bring him in." Esther commanded. Nodding, two guards opened the door. Smiling malevolently, the young man walked forward.

"Tell them what you told me." The young man nodded, and began to talk. "Duke Erin came to me, and said that he wanted me to write a pamphlet that we could distribute to make your royal highness unpopular. Of course, I was revolted by the idea, but I saw that the Duke was serious, and that if I didn't write it, he would get someone else to do it for him..." He continued, but Esther didn't pay attention. _There is something very familiar about that boy_, Esther thought, narrowing her eyes. _I recognize him, but from where_.

- - - -

_(Inside the research lab at Byzantium)_

Endre was a poor sight. For some reason, the smallest amount of UV light caused his entire system to be completely flooded with the silver. "We will need to increase the dosage in each cell to counteract the UV properly." The microvirus was still a very theoretical idea, and any number of things could be going wrong.

"Empress." One man said, bowing to the floor. "We should probably also analyze the effect of the microvirus with a sample of Endre's blood again."

"You're right." Seth said, looking back to Endre. He was covered with swollen patches, and had broken out into hives all over his face due to the super-amount of silver in his bloodstream. He vomited a few times, despite the fact that he was gagged, causing it to leak out of his mouth, almost choking him to death.

She turned to leave, only to see the doors around her shutting, and locking themselves. "What's going on?" Seth demanded. Alarm bells began to sound.

"Empress, for some reason the facility has gone into look-down." _What could be going on_? She wondered. Then, she heard gunfire and some screams to accompany it.

"My brother is here." She said.

"Your wha-?" Her bodyguard asked, but he was cut off by the steel reinforced door flying from its hinges.

"Empress, get behind me!" He said, leveling his sidearm.

"No! Luther!" The empress shouted, but it was too late. Cain saw him, and raised his arms, blowing his chest apart.

"Cain." Seth hissed.

"Ahh, sweet sister." Cain said with a maddening smile.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"To be one happy family again." Cain said innocently.

"And if that family isn't happy with you, you blow them up? Or cut off their HEAD?" Seth screamed.

"The humans got to them, sister. Polluted their minds with their infectious garbage. I did what I had to do to make sure that they would not get in the way. Like I will do whatever is necessary to make sure you do not get in the way."

"Are you threatening me, brother?" She replied, with an edge to her voice.

"Yes." He said simply. Shouting, Seth made a quick transformation to her Crusnik form, and shot a wall of ice towards her brother. But he had been expecting this, and the ice was met halfway by an invisible shockwave, which reduced it to dust.

"It's useless, sister. Give up, and join me. We shall destroy humanity together." Seth dropped her hands, and turned slowly back into human form._ I cannot win._

"Yes, we will." She said.

"Without your army, the humans stand no chance against my forces, but if you commit your army, I will take your head, just like mother's." - - - -


	7. Chapter 2: Section 3

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 2: The Tides of War**

** Section 3: Undercurrents**

Note: Because of the fact that I have to convert everything from Notepad, and rebold/reunderline/reitalisize everything to do that, I don't think I can correct the errors you've mentioned to me, but I appreciate it. (Showing me the sentence where I made the mistake would be more helpful)

Note: Didn't read the novel, so I didn't know about Lilith and Abel's relationship. I had always assumed that she was his mother from what I had seen in the anime. shrugs

_(The Papal palace in the Vatican)_

The bodies had only been cleared a few hours ago. Crews had been drawn up from the military and civilian population to do a city-wide sweep, but reports were coming in already that some bodies had been missed in sewers and recently abandoned buildings. The blood, however, would take months to wash away. _How long will it be before my conscious is clean?_ Caterina asked herself. Last night, she had woken up three separate times in cold sweats. Images of dead civilians haunted her dreams. They had found some shot, but just as many beaten to death, staring up at the sky with horror-filled eyes.

Not wanting to remained cooped up for long, Astaroshe had departed to Albion only minutes after regaining consciousness, accompanied by Tres, but by the way things were going in the Vatican, they would probably need to be recalled. Caterina kneaded her forehead in an attempt to sooth a stubborn migraine, which recently, would not go away, but nothing seemed to help it.

AX was scattered around Europe. Not without a good deal of protest, Leon had been returned to his prison cell, Esther had become the Queen of Albion, Abel had died, Kate waited in her Iron Maiden, and the professor was working undercover in Spain. _Lord knows where Hugue is._ As much as it pained her, she would need to find replacements. _My brother will no doubt know a few able soldiers willing to fill the task_. Caterina knew no one else to appoint, and AX was too important at this time to let pride get in the way of it being an effective organization. _I shall speak to him._

Last she had heard of her brother, he had locked himself in his room, so she rose from her chair, and placed Abel's picture back in her desk. Her brother's room was not far, and less than a minute of walking brought her to his door. Listening intently, she could hear him muttering, but could not make out what he said. She knocked solidly, and waited. "What do you want?" He cried out angrily.

"Brother, let me in. I need to talk to you." Caterina answered, happy that he was so miserable. She heard him sigh, and shuffle slowly towards the door. Pausing for a moment, he opened the door, frowned at Caterina, and shuffled back to his seat. His hair was disheveled, and his eyes were red. His face was contorted in a sad expression, hanging loosely from an apparent lack of sleep. For that brief time, Caterina felt sorry for him.

"I've been praying to God for guidance." He mumbled, rubbing his eyes thoroughly.

"Has he sent you any advice, brother?" Caterina asked mockingly.

"None so far." He answered, irritated at her tone. He looked out the window, and snarled audibly.

"Why haven't you slept?" She asked, concerned and interested.

"_They_ haven't let me sleep." He replied, pointing out the window. Caterina looked out to see a group of at least thirty women, surrounded by candles. "Wives of some of the men that died in the riot. They want my head, sister! They say I'm responsible. The palace guard refuses to disperse them!" _He talks like it isn't even a possibility._

"Perhaps you were." Caterina answered, but she regretted it as soon as she heard her own words. _That wasn't fair._

"My fault?" Francesco asked, wild eyed. He began to laugh insanely. Rising, he reached into his drawer, to pick up a small handgun. He aimed it at her, still laughing. Screaming, Caterina tried to hide herself behind her arms, but he only fired to the side, striking the wooden floor. _He's insane_. "It's their fault! It's those damn civilian heretics, marching on the streets and questioning the faith! And I've had enough of it!" He screamed, this time pointing his gun out of his window.

"No, brother!" Caterina yelled, jumping up. He fired three times before she could knock the pistol out of his hands. The women in the vigil outside shrieked and ran, but none of them were wounded. _Thank god_, Caterina thought. Seeing that he had missed, Francesco fell onto his bed and began to weep.

"Compose yourself!" Caterina shouted, silencing him. "You have a duty to the Pope, to the nation, and to god himself! Are you so selfish that you would break down like this our time of need? Haven't you considered that God might be testing you?" Francesco looked up at her, surprised at the very thought. _If I want him sane, I need to speak his language._

"You're right sister," He said softly "I'll dress and meet you in the hearing room this afternoon."

"No you wont. You'll sleep for ten hours, get something to eat, and take a bath, then tomorrow you'll join us."

"You're right, sister." He said, suddenly ashamed at his appearance. As Caterina got prepared to leave, there was a heavy knock on Francesco's door.

"I'll get it." She said. "You go to sleep." Walking to the door, she opened it to see a her personal assistant rush in, panting.

"A diplomat from Germanicus has arrived." He said quickly, pausing to catch his breath. "Germanicus is in vital danger, and he needs to see you immediately."

"We have our own problems." Caterina answered dismissively, half-closing the door.

"Germanicus is being overrun!" The messenger yelled.

- - - -

_(Outside of Kaltenkirchen, in Northwestern Germanicus)_

When they had reached the city, it was already being assaulted, and parts of it were burning. They found the German regiment as they approached the city walls, smelling the corpses first, and then seeing the long line of carnage on the field to the east of the city. It seemed as if Kaltenkirchen would share in their fate, but Abel and his band of fifty men were determined to stop it. "They should be going through the city now, house to house. The longer we wait, the more die." Abel said, looking at the rest of the militia.

"We're ready." Hal said with a slight frown. He still doesn't trust me. Fires from the burning city illuminated the night sky.

"Ion, you take twenty men and sweep east along the wall. I'll take the rest of the men and head straight for city hall. If you find any able-bodied people in the city, arm them." Ion nodded, gripping his blade restlessly, anticipating the battle.

"Be swift!" Ion shouted, and he ran for the breach in the wall. Abel followed him in. As soon as they entered, they came upon the animated soldiers scattered through the streets, systematically butchering the humans in the city. Human bodies were everywhere, but they had put up a fight every inch of the way. Slain undead also littered the streets. Pushing forward, Abel and his band fired an assortment of arrows and bullets which worked perfectly on the disorganized enemy. Any vampire that slipped through their fire was cut down by multiple blades. Men and women, some wounded joined them as they advanced, picking up weapons from the slain city guardsmen.

After almost an hour of killing, they reached the hall in the center of the town. Amazingly, there was still a small band of men guarding it. They seemed as if they would be overwhelmed any moment, but when they spotted Abel and his militia, they renewed their hopes, and charged against the assailants. Abel did not waste any time, charging into the back of the reanimated line, unloading clip after clip into the thickest part of their formation. The vampires cut dozens of humans to pieces with their large axes, but the tide of desperate civilians finally overwhelmed them.

Ion appeared soon afterwards, leading a much larger force of at least one-hundred. Cheering when the two crowds met, they ran off in different directions in groups, determined the purge the town of the attackers. Abel walked up to Ion and patted him on the shoulder. "Contra Mundi is getting bolder, and that will be their downfall, Ion." He nodded in agreement. The hilt of Ion's sword was coated with blood. _He is more useful than I thought._

"Are you the demon?" A voice questioned from behind Abel's back. He turned, reaching in his coat for his pistol. "Woahh there. That won't be necessary." The man said, seeing what Abel was doing. "We've heard about you, and we're here to help." Turning, Abel saw a strange band of another fifty men, armed mostly with guns, and a few blades.

Another man bowed in front of Abel nervously. "Get up." Abel said. _Soon they'll be worshiping me._

"I've been sent as a representative for the southern cities of Germanicus, looking for you sir. We have no army left, and we need your help desperately."

- - - -

_(The Queen's Palace in Londinium)_

"Your excellency, are you sure you want to enter?" The guard asked.

"Yes, I want to enter! Open the door now!" Esther ordered. _Why is everyone trying to stop me?_

"As you wish, my Queen." The guard said, moving aside and opening the door. Esther walked in to the dimly lit room and strained her eyes to see what was inside.

"Duke Erin of Ireland?" She asked.

"I'm here." He said gruffly, sounding disoriented. Looking around, she realized that his voice had come from the darkness.

"Someone turn on the lights!" Esther commanded. A few seconds later, they turned on. Seeing Duke Erin, she inhaled sharply. He was covered with bruises, and untreated lacerations.

"Summon a doctor!" She yelled, but no one spoke. "Do it now!" She screamed. Finally, someone walked out of the room silently.

"I get it." Duke Erin said, coughing. "I've seen this tactic before. You get your men to beat the hell out of me and then pretend you had no say in it. I wont be fooled by such a cheap trick."

"Who sanctioned this! Who gave the order!" Esther demanded, but no one spoke. "If you do not answer me, I will have a court martial for everyone here! I order you to speak!"

"I ordered it. I expected you did not want to dirty your hands with the more sordid details" Mary Spencer said, stepping out of the darkness. Duke Erin laughed as if something were extremely funny.

"Mary..." Esther said with disappointment. "Get out of my sight."

"Yes, your highness." Mary said, sulking away into the darkness.

"Have the Duke released immediately." Esther ordered. When his restraints were removed, he jumped up, rubbing his sore wrists. "I need to speak with you, Erin." Esther said softly.

"You think I'm staying after what you did to me?" He snapped.

"Look into my eyes!" Esther said softly, but with great energy. Erin reluctantly complied. "I swear upon God himself that I did not order this. As an ex-nun I do not take such things lightly." Erin paused for a few moments, sizing her up.

"I don't know why, but I believe you." He answered, narrowing his eyes.

"Your highness, you can't dine with this man! If you had heard the things that his assistant had told us. How he plotted against you, and against your friends as well..."

"That's a lie!" Duke Erin shouted, saying it as if he had been saying it for hours.

"Why should I believe you?" Esther asked. The Duke laughed.

"Look into my eyes. I swear upon god himself, and the honor of my family's name that I did and said no such things."

"And for some reason, I believe you." Esther said, nodding her head. "Now we're family, let's act like it. Come with me, and we can have those cuts looked at." Considering it for a few seconds, he followed Esther upstairs. The guards followed them out of the room. "Leave us!" Esther said to them.

No sooner had they reached the top of the stairs, when a deafening explosion sounded from below their feet, directly where Erin was being questioned. Her servant pulled her to the floor protectively, but there was little damage to the hallway.

"Thank you." Esther said, getting from underneath him and pulling herself to her feet.

"Who besides you would want me dead?" Erin questioned sharply.

"What is the name of your assistant. The one that testified against you." Esther asked.

"Dmitri." He answered.

"Have him arrested immediately." She said to her guards. _I knew I recognized him from somewhere, but where?_

- - - -

_(In the air above Germanicus)_

"Can you pilot it from here, Tres?" Astaroshe asked, feeling tired from the day's flying. She had taken her ship from Rome, not wanting to pilot an inferior Vatican vessel.

"Positive." Tres answered, reaching out mechanically and grasping the controls. _How tiring this search will become_, she thought. As soon as she had learned of her new mission, she jumped at the opportunity to leave the confines of her apartment in Rome and start moving around, but nothing had led her to expect that it would be this boring.

As soon as they got to Albion, they talked for hours with scores of half-witted excitable terrans, describing extremely different versions of events of the "massacre" that had taken place. To be safe, Tres logged them all, and could recite them by memory. It was not until a few hours later that a merchant reported that he had transported two suspicious characters across the ocean to a northern port city in Germanicus.

Now they were flying there, hoping that someone in the city had seen the vampires. And if they did not, _that is where the trail ends,_ Astaroshe thought, glad that at least an end was in sight. But something had been nagging at her for the last few hours. Something about one of the accounts. Turning to Tres, she made a request. "Tres, replay account number three."

"Positive." He paused, apparently bringing the testimony in his memory bank. "We had heard about an attack by a vampire by a young boy named Kevin. When we went to investigate it. A man came from the shadows, wearing a long Vatican robe, and I remember one thing in particular. He had a ribbon tied in his hair, which was grey... no, actually it was white..."

"Replay that sentence." Astaroshe said.

"He had a ribbon tied in his hair, which was grey... no, actually it was white." Tres repeated. Astaroshe shook her head. _What am I thinking?_

"We had determined that the Vatican robe came from the church near the secondary entrance to the Ghetto. The one that had been pulverized, right?" Astaroshe asked.

"Positive. We determined that they took the robe as a disguise to allow them to slip out of the city." Tres said. Yes, that was it, she thought, but it seemed wrong. Suddenly, Mary appeared on the bridge, in her customary hologram form. Surprised, Astaroshe reached for her spear, and pointed it, charged, at the hologram.

"No need to worry, Countess." Mary said. Seeing that Tres was not alarmed, Astaroshe put down her weapon. "I have a message for you. Apparently, a diplomat from Germanicus has made contact with the Cardinal. He reported something about a vampire matching the description of the one you're looking for."

"Does he know where he might be?" Astaroshe asked.

"Kaltenkirchen. If you hurry, you might be able to catch him. It's almost daybreak, we think he'll camp out in Kaltenkirchen until nightfall." Mary responded.

"Head to Kaltenkirchen as fast as you can." She told Tres.

"Positive."


	8. Chapter 3: Section 1

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 3: Off To War **

Note: Comments are welcome! Which plot-lines in my story are most interesting? Why? Feedback desired!

_(Vatican Council meeting) _

In her customary position, Caterina flanked the young Pope, who fidgeted in his seat, eager for the proceedings to begin. _Who am I fooling. He is eager for them to be over and done with, _Caterina considered, seizing up Alessandro. _He's still a scared young boy, _she thought smugly. Besides the constant battles between her and her brother, he was easy for her to manipulate, but, to her surprise, as soon as the proceedings began to get underway, the Pope spoke up. Being the first time the Pope had spoken out of turn, Caterina eyed him with shock and alarm.

"Sister! I have something to say." Speaking out of turn seemed to be just as odd to him as well, because his words came out in a scared-sounding squeak.

"By all means, your excellency." Caterina said warmly, genuinely interested.

"I would... I want those vampires in Albion to be released. They're really not all that ba-" He began.

"Sir, that's Albion's internal affairs. There is nothing that we can do about that situation." One advisor interjected.

"But it's not _fair!_" Alessandro protested. Across the hall, one advisor buried his head in his arms in frustration. Another rolled his eyes.

Caterina raised her eyebrows, also surprised at his recent outburst, but seeing the boy hold his own in the meeting was a welcome surprise. _If one could call that childish outburst 'holding his own'. _

"We'll look into it, your excellency." Caterina said, giving in, and hoping to foster Alessandro's new found independence. _Perhaps I can get him to resist Francesco from strong-arming him some day_. But seeing the pope itch his scalp underneath the hat, accidentally knocking it off of his head, Caterina couldn't help but laugh. _Not today. _

"Now that we've handled that issue, let's move on to a more dire situation developing in Germanicus." One advisor announced. Caterina eyed the advisor closely. _They come and go, the only difference between them is if they're my brother's pet or mine. _This particular one belonged to her brother. "A messenger arrived from there just yesterday. Many of you may know this, but according to him, Germanicus is facing a heavy civil insurrection," _The crowds are just going wild lately. _"and the whole north of the country has been overrun by hostile forces. In fact, after a particularly bloody affair, Berlin was evacuated. We have two issues on the table."

"Which are?" Caterina asked, impatient of his delay.

"First, their request was to assist them militarily, and they have begged this quite fervently."

"Sister?" The Pope asked, looking at her like a dog waiting to be told to sit or roll over.

"Absolutely out of the question. Our forces are still containing riots in the south, and our positioning with the New Human Empire is precarious already. To lose even a division would upset the balance we have with them." Caterina stated. As usual, Alessandro turned to announce her opinion as his own, but a voice stopped him.

"That would be unacceptable, your excellency!" Francesco's voice thundered. _Impeccable timing, as always brother, _Caterina thought. "If we were to assist Germanicus, they would forever be in our debt, and obligated to help us in our inevitable war with the vampires!"

"You forget that Germanicus is flooded with vampires, brother. They would never-"

"Ahh, but not for long." Francesco interrupted. "They will be purged. It is the vampires that are leading the revolt, is it not?"

"Vampires that destroyed the entire army of Germanicus in a matter of days!" Caterina retorted.

"Sister, we have the backing of god himself. We will suffer no defeat." He turned to the Pope, thrusting himself menacingly forward. "To defend Christendom, and protect our cherished ally against decimation, you must assist them, your excellency!" Her brother shouted forcefully.

"Yes... you're right." The Pope mumbled weakly, cowering as far into the back of his chair as possible.

"Then, it's settled. The inquisitors will march in the dawn of the next day!" Francesco stated.

"What was our other option." Caterina asked, thoroughly defeated.

"To allow the government to flee to our territory in exile, until control could be regained." The advisor answered.

"That will not be necessary!" Francesco announced, brushing the idea aside.

- - - -

_(The Queen's palace in Albion) _

"Your excellency. We've searched everyone room of the mansion, and we could not find Dmitri. It appears as if he's fled." _It's as I feared. Yet I still do not know why I recognize him. _She paced from one wall of her room of another, concentrating intently, when she nearly stumbled over a large, black chest. Fastened with a rusty iron bolt, it contained everything Esther had brought with her that identified her as a member of AX. Her robe, sidearm, and...

"Of course!" She exclaimed. Confused, the guard quirked his head, and turned. But when he saw Esther struggling with the rusty bolt, he assisted her, and soon the lid popped open. Searching through her clothes, and pushing aside a small pistol, she pulled out a small handbook. It was worn and tattered from the many torturous hours she spent reading it when she had just joined AX. _Everyone doubted me then. _She had memorized the pesky thing, including every rule and regulation, hoping to help her chances of actually engaging in some field work.

She flipped quickly, making her way to the section regarding Contra Mundi, and read until she found the sub-section, _Known and suspected members_. Scanning down the list, she almost lost hope, but found one last portrait on the flip-side of the last page. It was unmistakable.

"His name isn't Dmitri. It's Frederick Himler." She said to her guard.

"I'll investigate it immediately, your highness." He said enthusiastically, running out of the room. As soon as he disappeared down the hall, she read the description under his name. _Known associate and apparent apprentice of Dietrich Von Lohengrin, or "the puppet master" of Contra mundi. Described as having extremely manipulative tendencies, and a vicious demeanor. _

Seeing Dietrich's name, Esther shuddered, a cold feeling running down her spine. _Even in death, you haunt me. _She sat in a rich leather chair, remembering in vivid detail what Dietrich and her had shared, but her thoughts were interrupted.

"You summoned me?" Duke Erin asked, poking his head around the corner.

"I see you've healed quite nicely." Esther said, pleased that he had no lasting scars. Only a few bruises remained on his face.

"I've done all right." He answered.

"I wanted to talk to you about these riots, Erin." She began, hoping that going into the tender subject wouldn't rouse his anger. "I think it would be best for the country if they were to end."

"What do you suggest?"

"We could have a public appearance. Sooth the public doubt." Esther offered.

"Yes, that would be fine. I just wonder about one thing. The situation in the Ghetto, how are you planning on handling it?" He asked.

"With the vampires locked down there?" Esther asked. She considered it for a few moments. "It's not fair, but Albion's economy depends on their labor. If they were to go to the New Human Empire..." The situation had been nagging at her for a while, only recently pushed aside by her concern at the recent riots.

"I have my own ideas that could solve the situation once and for all." Erin said, acting as if he was revealing a big secret. "Do you want to hear it?" This peeked Esther's interest.

"Yes... what is it?"

- - - -

_(The Royal court of Byzantium) _

"Empress, we have a message from Germanicus. They are requesting assistance to help put down a number of rebellions in the north. They have insisted that if we do not intervene, they will be overrun, and terrorists will seize control of the country, possibly destabilizing the entire region."

"Tell them that I would be happy to assist them, but the Vatican would most definitely take offense to our troops drawing so close to their borders. Tell them that it's up to the Vatican if we can help." _And knowing them, they will not grant that permission. _

"But Empress... the situation-"

"Is out of our control. You are dismissed." She finished. _I hope you are happy brother. For now, the humans stand alone. _

- - - -

_(Inside Kaltenkirchen, in northwest Germanicus) _

"Where is the vampire!" Astaroshe Asran demanded, giving the prostrated old terran another kick to the ribs. Wheezing, he clutched at his wounded side.

"I... don't know." He whimpered. She kicked him again, except this time it was a bit harder. He gasped, rolling in agony. Tres looked on dispassionately.

"Next shot, and I'll break your rib." She warned. The old man began to cry piteously. She raised her leg, ready to deliver another blow.

"Please, please." He begged, trying to protect his ribs. "I heard that he took residence in the town hall. Please don't hurt me anymore." Astaroshe smiled. _These terrans can be a real laugh. _For some reason, she was in a particularly nasty mood today. _I'm a bit thirsty. _

"Tres, follow me." She said coolly. _The darkness will hide my approach. _

"Positive." He answered. They walked for a few minutes, passing corpses and burning houses. Finally, Astaroshe found the first body of one of the attackers, and was not that surprised that it was one of Contra Mundi's reanimated soldiers. _Caterina will be interested to hear that Germanicus hasn't been completely honest about their situation. _

Finally, they reached the town square, where, by the looks of things, most of the fighting had taken place. Looking up at the hall in the middle, there was a bright light in the highest room, with laughter issuing from it. Astaroshe's mind worked quickly, examining the structure. "Tres, move to the edge of that street there." She said, pointing next to the hall. "If anyone comes out matching the descriptions of the vampires we're looking for, arrest them."

"Positive." Tres said, in his monotone voice. Astaroshe waited for him to walk to his position, and then jumped from the side of the building, gracefully landing on its roof. She crept across, readying her energy spear, but the laughter and talking continued below her. _They're still completely clueless. _Heading to the edge of the roof, she hoped to swing herself in through the window, but on the way, she knocked an arrow with her foot, which had somehow made its way onto the roof, causing it to start rolling down the slanted metal surface. Almost unbearably loud, the arrow caught the attention of those inside the room, and they quieted.

Sighing, she pointed her energy spear downward and fired, cutting a gaping hole in the roof. A few gunshots were fired in response, making her dodge back from the hole, but she could hear footsteps as they retreated out of the room. Following, she jumped through the hole, and knocked the latched door open with the butt of her spear, but they had already fled down the stairs. _Perfect, they'll be flushed directly to Tres. _Deciding that she did not want to be ambushed in the building, Astaroshe jumped back onto the roof, and watched with amazement to see that Tres had allowed a group of three to pass him, without paying any attention to them at all. One of them had a head of wispy silver hair trailing behind him.

Jumping down beside him, she approached him angrily. "Why did you let them go?" She demanded.

"They did not match the criteria. Three individuals passed. Identified as one friendly, accompanied by two neutrals."

"That was our target, you rusty piece of junk. Damn your malfunctions."

"I am currently operating at 100, with no reported malfunctions." Tres corrected. Seething, Astaroshe pointed to the ground Tres stood on.

"You stay here, and you don't move. I'll handle this myself!"

"Positive." Astaroshe ran off after the trio, and gained on them. _They're slow for vampires. _

"Stop!" She yelled, but they did not pay any attention to her, so she leveled her staff and fired. The beam went wide, striking the row of buildings to the right, and setting one afire. This caused the group to dodge around a corner. When she rounded the corner in pursuit, she was taken completely by surprise, as a winged figure shot out from behind the building. Unable to swing her staff around in time, it knocked her to the ground.

"Asta?" It hissed questioningly. _How does it know my name? _Enraged, she continued to grapple with the creature, but it was superior in both strength in speed, and soon it had disarmed her. "Tres! Help!" Cursing, she tried to strike it, but it caught her hand in midair and held her down.

"Let me go!" She screamed, kicking wildly. As if to submit to her request, the beast loosened its grip and backed away, slowly changing shape to a smaller, less threatening form. She grasped out for her staff, but it had been flung too far away.

"Asta! Stop! It's me." The figure called out, still obscured by darkness, but the voice was hauntingly familiar.

"Who?" She questioned, breathing heavily. Finally, Tres appeared in the light behind her, and walked by her side.

"Confirmed identity, Abel Nightroad." Tres stated.

"Nightroad?" She whispered in awe. Abel finally walked into the streetlight. His usual happy-go-lucky demeanor was replaced by a grim look, and his eyes no longer sparkled. He was almost completely unrecognizable.

- - - -

Cain had just exited his recuperation chamber, stretching out his stiff limbs, and feeling his power rush through him, a practice that he liked to undertake every few days in his resting period. To his annoyance, someone approached in the middle of his stretch.

"What?" He asked, not wanting to be held for long before reentering his chamber.

"Our contact from the Vatican sends word. The inquisitors are marching north to assist Germanicus."

"This is turning out better than I could have wished." Cain said happily. _They split their forces already. _

"Also, a small group of men led by some sort of vampire are harassing our western flank."

Cain shrugged. "They are not our concern. At this point the Vatican poses a much bigger threat. Mobilize our full strength and march them south with all possible speed. If we go quickly enough, we'll take their army by surprise."

"I'll take your orders to the council."

- - - -


	9. Chapter 3: Section 2

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 3: Off To War **

**Section 2: The March **

Note: Been busy the last few days. The last couple days of Football combined with a concert and a movie night with my father made it impossible for me to post a story, but here it is. Enjoy!

Note: I've seen two different versions of Leon's imprisonment time and reason for imprisonment. (1000 to 700) (Killing priests vs. killing his wife and some family) I'm not quite certain which is the actual reason, so I've left it intentionally vague, but if someone is certain and could tell me, I'd appreciate it.

_(High Security Jail in the Vatican) _

_This whole place stinks_. That's all Leon ever thought about when he was in prison, and it probably kept him sane. The whole prison smelled horrible. One sick bastard on the other side of him refused to go to the bathroom in his bucket, and was beaten regularly for it, which he seemed to thoroughly enjoy. _He laughs when he's getting hit. Who does that? _For this Leon had nicknamed him the cackler.

Despite Leon's protests, he was condemned to rot in this place until he could be assigned his last mission. His deal with Caterina had seemed like a cheat in the beginning, but now he was starting to see just how lenient it was. He had started out with 700 years in prison, and every mission he completed detracted another 20 years from his sentence, only ten years remained to detract. He fingered the locket hanging around his neck wistfully. _Only one more mission and I'm out of this stinking hell hole_.

"What's that locket, eh?" Asked fat, scarred man said leaning through the bars of the cell next to Leon. He had a long tangled beard and a wild look in his eyes. He ignored the man. They cycled Leon every few months, for a reason that he did not quite understand, so his neighbors constantly changed. _So that I wont escape? _

"Is that a picture of your sweetheart?" The man pressed, despite Leon's refusal to recognize him. "Don't worry, I'll be out in just five years, and when I do, I'll pay your dearie a visit, help her pass the time." To this cliched remark, he dedicated a full half-minute of roaring laughter, the cackler, sensing that something funny had been said, joined in with his own shrill and crazed chorus.

"Actually, he's out in ten. That's a deal less than the seventy you have to serve, Joe." Joe's laughter stopped abruptly_. Wait, how did he know that? _Leon turned to the shadow of a man in the cell to the other side of him, but due to the poor lighting, he couldn't see into the engulfing darkness. "And much... much less than you over there." He called out to the cackler. "You have at least a thousand years, and I doubt they'll let a freak like you out because of good behavior." Leon chuckled, despite his weariness of the stranger. Sensing that he had been insulted, the cackler shrieked and howled, bashing his face against the bars angrily. After a few seconds, he hurt himself and hit the floor of his cell. _Still alive, unfortunately._

To pass the time, he let his mind wander. After a good minute of twiddling his thumbs, his mind raced. _I wonder when Caterina will have another mission for me; it shouldn't be long with the state of things as they are. _"She's coming for you now. It should only be a few minutes." The stranger said.

Leon straightened himself up and narrowed his eyes towards the dark cell. "How did you..."

"Know? Because I know everything." He said with a tragic sounding laugh. "Why do you think I'm down here."

"If you know everything, then what's my favorite color?" Leon challenged. _If he's not an agent, I'll eat my own face. _

"You love Cyan because it reminds you of the waters of your home town in Spain." He answered carelessly. "And I would really love to see you eat your own face..." Uttering these words, he laughed darkly.

"Hey!" A guard's voice boomed, echoing through the cramped halls. "Who the hell let him take his gag off!" The guard rushed to his cell, accompanied by two other bloodthirsty guards, hoping that they would get to administer a good beating. As he turned the key in the lock, the strange man spoke up again.

"Your wife has been cheating on you." He said, laughing softly.

"Shut your damn mouth!" The lead guard shouted, his tone warning of violence.

"Your best friend and her have met the last couple of weekends in an old hotel..." his voice trailed off, warning of more.

"I said shut up!" He screamed, now red-faced. He still fumbled with the keys.

"When your mother died, her last words damned you for never being there for her." The stranger said, now laughing. The cackler joined in. Leon looked on with horror as the guards descended upon his strange neighbor and proceeded to beat the tar out of him for ten straight minutes, before roughly gagging him. Leon suddenly felt naked, as if everything he had ever thought to himself was now open to a stranger. _Which it actually is. _

Brooding over this for a while, he noticed footsteps issuing from the only staircase to the basement level. They were graceful and delicate, steps a woman would take. _Caterina is here. _Indeed, Caterina did approach, accompanied, as usual, by a pair of guards. "Leave us." She said, as she always did, and the guards split into opposite directions, leaving them alone to talk. _Not completely alone, _he thought, glancing into the dark cell adjacent to him.

"I have a mission for you, Leon." She stated.

"Already?" He asked, bemused. "I figured you'd let me rot for a few more years before giving me the opportunity." He said, referencing a time when Caterina had forgotten about him for over a year.

Caterina was not amused. "Enough of your childishness, Leon." She snapped. "This is serious. My brother has dispatched the inquisitors to Germanicus to deal with some rebels, but I have just learned that they are actually a large force of Contra Mundi's reanimated soldiers, who are far superior to our troops. My brother, however, does not share this perspective, and the orders stand. I need you to accompany the army, and meet with Paula, their leader. You will go ahead of the army and scout for them. Make sure they are not ambushed. If things get very bad, I'm also providing you with a secondary objective. If the Inquisitors are destroyed... you must blow the mountain pass, so that Contra Mundi's army is delayed at the Alps. It may very well save The Vatican." Leon listened intently, and then nodded.

"I'll get it done." He assured.

- - - -

_(In the fields north of Munich, in southern Germanicus) _

The day had been particularly bloody. Not only did Germanicus witness, for the first time in centuries, the destruction of their entire army, but Germanicus itself had been ceded to a rebel force. At noon, General Ferdinand Schorner, confident in his soldiers, and his reports of the "disorganized and ill-equipped enemy" met them in an open field for a pitched battle. Unbelievably, the enemy took the bait, and then slaughtered them.

"I can't believe it." Schorner finally stated, amazed. At least half of the army lay dead, the other half had run, only to be chased down mercilessly. _Routed only to be cut down from behind. _Sepp couldn't quite believe it either.

"Our men... they..." But there were no words that came to his mind fitting for the description. They had conscripted five-thousand locals and armed them with makeshift pikes, knowing that with them, they could easily hold back the axe-men and occasional swordsman of the enemy. Behind those, another four thousand regulars had been arrayed, with rifles, and they even had three pieces of heavy artillery. _It all seemed to be working out to plan, but..._ When the axemen charged, the bullets didn't stop them, merely annoyed them, making them pause for a brief moment. Even the artillery failed to knock down enemies except with a direct hit. When they made contact with the wavering spearline, the axemen tore through it like a red-hot saber through the most flimsy of butter sticks.

At that point, everyone started to run, and a few minutes later, they were all dead. There was simply no more men in his command. Schorner had no choice, so he raised his white flag as a truce, and approached what appeared to be the enemy general. Schorner's staff followed him in on horseback. When they arrived, the General eyed them curiously. The black-clad soldiers seemed not to pay attention to them as they came. "You've quite finished us sir. I'd like to offer the surrender of myself, and my staff." Schorner said. The enemy general seemed not to care, and reached into his coat-pocket, pulling out a machine-gun. "I'm under flag of truce." Schorner pleaded.

"Orders are orders." The enemy general finally said, raising his gun. He fired a burst, hitting Schorner in the head. "Kill the rest." He ordered his men, who quickly raised their axes. The butchering was complete in seconds.

- - - -

_(Londinium, in Southern Albion) _

"You look handsome." Esther said with a smile, straightening Erin's collar. The public declaration was due to occur in under a few minutes. _Finally, this rebellion business will be over, _she thought hopefully.

"You are looking quite refined yourself, my queen. Have you taken my advice under consideration?" Erin asked. _This man is very blunt. _

"Yes, I have, and I like the idea." Erin's plan had been simple. If the vampires had left to the New Human Empire immediately as refugees, they would have no money, because in their whole time in the Ghetto, they had not been paid. Also, they wouldn't necessarily be greeted well because of the fact that vampire in the New Human Empire knew just as much, if not more, than the knowledge of the vampires that Albion had been holding captive.

According to Erin's plan, they would run the machines at full capacity for the next month. (Esther was surprised to learn that they were only running at 50) and then use the stockpile of forgotten technology to allow the Vampires to stop manufacturing, and teach a group of handpicked scientists and scholars how to work the machines. From that point, they would not only keep producing chips and machinery in the Ghetto, but also install another plant in the isolated Blacket islands off the coast of Ireland, which would be far more secure, and also allow Albion to begin exporting these chips in a number of civilian enterprises, which would, by Erin's estimation, create an economic boom for all of Albion.

After a tedious negotiation with the vampires, a deal was worked out. They would do everything that Esther wished, if they were paid twenty thousand Denari a year apiece, and if they were relocated to above-ground residents immediately. She was glad it was finally settled, though the whole process would take at least a year to complete.

"It's almost time to get on stage!" One assistant warned.

But something happened that Esther did not expect. Gunshots rang out. First, they were only from behind her, then it seemed as if they were all around her, peppering the changing room they had been getting ready in. The walls offered no protection, and were blown apart by swaths of bullets. Esther barely had enough time to get onto the ground as a line of shots passed directly over her head. Her bodyguards were cut down attempting to shield her, only getting off a few unaimed shots. When she realized that it was just her and Erin, who lay moaning on the ground, clutching a wounded shoulder, Esther jumped up, and grabbed a sub-machine gun from one guard, pulling Erin through a door with her other hand, which led to the stage area.

Pulling him out into the open, she saw that the entire square was thrown into a panic. "My Queen. Leave me... get out as fast as you can!" Erin urged her, blood spilling from his lips. He collapsed to the stage floor, as Esther heard the attackers racing up the stairs she had just climbed. Enraged, she pointed the gun at the door, and waited for the knob to turn before pulling the trigger.

A man on the other side gasped as bullets entered his body, and fell to the ground, others behind him were also hit as the bullets tore through the thin wood of the door. "The Queen is under attack!" One man in the crowd yelled, rushing forward. Others joined him, picking up any weapon they could find. They swept over her, rushing down the stairs, from which Esther could hear a constant chain of gunfire. After a minute of fighting, the gunfire ceased. It was finally over. _I can't believe I'm still alive. _But Erin was less fortunate, laying in a pool of his own blood.

- - - -

_(Inside a house in Kaltenkirchen, in northwest Germanicus) _

Daylight had broken out, forcing Ion and Astaroshe indoors. Abel's small army, which now numbered at just over five-hundred took the morning to rest, tired from the previous night's slaughter.

Astaroshe demanded that Abel tell her everything, and for the first time in many years, he did. He told her and Ion about his brother, Lilith, Seth, and the wars they had fought. He also related his services for the Vatican.

On the other hand, Astaroshe told Abel about Cain's interruption in his funeral, and Francesco's war march, much to Abel's distress. "The Inquisitors are the crack troops of the Vatican. The most well trained, and the most disciplined, but without support, they will be butchered. We need to tell them who they're facing!" Abel urged.

"Caterina's tried, Abel." Astaroshe answered. "Francesco will have none of it." Hearing this, Abel sighed, knowing that Astaroshe was right. She raised her nose to the air, and wrinkled it, smelling something awful.

"What... is that... smell?" She asked, disgusted. Abel chuckled. "You! Take a bath now! You smell like garbage!" Abel shrugged defensively.

"I haven't had the time."

"You have time now." She said, pushing him out of his seat and towards a bathing room across the hall. "And don't come out until you are clean!" She ordered him. She still found it easy to push him around, despite the fact that she now knew that he could transform into a predator at will and kill her in a moment. _It's surprising how weak he acts for someone so powerful, _she thought. It amazed her that only a few weeks before, she had choked Abel against a wall and thrown him to the ground. Returning to the common-room, she sat down across from Ion.

"You're not so clean yourself." She said to him, seeing streaks of dirt across his face.

"I'll go in after Abel's done." Ion replied gruffly. Astaroshe nodded, but she felt her temper rise, remembering what Ion had done.

"You abandoned me in Rome! You abandoned your mission when it hadn't even started!" She yelled. "How dare you? How dare you defy the orders of the Empress!?" Ion lowered his head.

"I'm sorry..." He muttered.

"Sorry isn't enough!" She responded, smacking him across the head. He whimpered, and turned his head away.

"I'm not the only one who acted foolishly." He said, raising his eyes to her's.

"What do you mean?" She demanded.

"I saw your face when you heard that Abel died. You almost broke into tears. I've never seen a Methusella get so upset over a Terran before." He mused, pausing for a moment. "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Astaroshe snorted. "That's ridiculous. Not everyone falls in love the instant they see someone attractive like you do, Ion." She realized her slip, and hoped he wouldn't catch it, but he did.

"So you find Abel attractive?" He asked.

"That's ridiculous." She responded, reddening.

"You've already said that." Astaroshe pulled herself up, and paced to the kitchen.

"Abel will be hungry when he gets out. I'll try to find something to eat." But when she entered the kitchen, she couldn't stop herself from turning her attention to the bathing room, and thinking about Abel.


	10. Chapter 3: Section 3

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 3: Tides of War**

**Section 3: Dark Wrath **

Note: When Astaroshe learned that Abel had died, she thought he was a mortal priest, no more.

Note: I know that traditionally it's Abel and Esther who are supposed to have a romance, but... it is my story... who knows ;) (But don't take that to mean that Astaroshe and Abel will definitely get into a relationship. She likes him, but she also liked Suleyman, and she ended up killing him)

Note: We won the Western and Central MA Division 1 Superbowl 42 to nothing! W00T!

- - - -

_(Sassnitz, an Island off the coast of Northern Germanicus) _

"Where is Heinrich?" Cain asked, seeing that one board member was absent.

"He's off handling affairs with the army, and collecting information, but that doesn't matter now! We've almost made contact with the Inquisitors in the Alps, according to our spy." The one-armed man said.

"Our men will tear them to pieces!" Another board member said, laughing. _The Vatican will soon fall. _Cain was about to leave the meeting, when Heinrich rushed in, panting.

"Bad news." He said, catching his breath.

"What is it?" The one-armed man questioned.

"The leader of the rabble in Northwestern Germanicus is Abel!" He exclaimed.

_Abel? _Cain straightened himself out, and headed towards the entrance.

"Sir, what will you do?" Heinrich asked.

"I will finish him, this time, for good."

_(The Alps, In Northern Vatican territory) _

Leon struggled on, putting one foot in front of the other. _Damn mountains. _He had been climbing for hours now, while the Inquisitors had set up camp. Paula had been far less than hospitable when she learned of his mission. _Stay out of our way, and we wont kill you, _she had said. _God damn inquisitors seriously need to loosen up. _The worst part, was that Leon found her incredibly attractive. _Distracting to say the least. _Thinking about her for a moment was enough to distract him from his footing, and he stubbed his toe on a rock. "OUCH!" Leon yelled, pausing momentarily to check to see if he had injured himself. He had not.

They were still miles away from Germanicus, but Caterina's orders had been explicit, so Leon would just need to keep scouting until they found this "shadow army", which so far had remained frustratingly elusive. He looked up, seeing that he only had a few more steps to go before reaching the crest. Wind whipped around him, blowing snow up in sheets which shrouded almost everything more than ten feet away in a white curtain. When he finally reached the peak, he looked in all directions, and found that he couldn't see a thing.

Knowing that he wouldn't be much of a use as a scout until the storm had passed, he turned to begin his long journey back down the mountain, but his foot slipped on a rock, and he stumbled. Regaining his footing, he was relieved that he had not fell.

He craned his neck down the other side of the mountain to see just how far of a fall it would have been, when the wind picked up again. This time, he was not ready, and he fell headlong down the steep slope. Rolling, he tried to bury his heels into the ground, but could not stop himself. He slid down a slick sheet of ice, picking up speed. Hitting a tree, he did a full spin, and something cracked in his chest. _God damn, I broke a rib. _It was far from over, he sped headlong into a rock, which he rolled over, bruising his back.

He continued to roll and slip down the steep slope of the mountain for another half a minute, when he craned his neck, seeing a ledge, which was approaching with alarming rapidity. _Think Leon, _he urged himself.

He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a throwing disk. As he approached the ledge, he saw a tree growing right off the side. He felt the ground disappear beneath his back as he flew off the side of the ledge, and swung his arm frantically towards the tree. The disk sunk in, and he held on as hard as he could. His speed was not easily stopped, however, and the force of stopping his momentum dislocated his shoulder. Screaming in pain, Leon grabbed the tree with his other arm and tried to pull himself back up. He tried twice without result, and he could feel his grip slipping. He looked down, seeing that the crevice went down at least fifty yards. Yelling out, he swung his body for one last try, and pulled his trembling body up onto the solid ground. He curled himself into a ball, glad that he had survived, but curiosity made him peek out to the north.

The air was much calmer here, and the sky was clear. In the distance, he saw a huge ominous force of thousands of black-clad Contra Mundi soldiers, marching forward steadily. _I need to warn the others. _He tenderly pushed himself off the ground with his good hand.

- - - -

_(In a hospital of Londinium) _

He still had not woken up. His pulse was weak, and his breathing irregular. A bullet had passed through his shoulder, bleeding him thoroughly, and he had almost died. He would have died, if Esther had not had him rushed to the nearest hospital by her own guards.

"There's good news, your excellency." A bodyguard told her. _A new one. _The old one had been slain by the assassins.

"What is it?" Esther asked, though at this point, she didn't really care what it was.

"There's a patriotic fervor running through the country. Even in the north, they have started to make posters about you... favorable ones."

"That's good." Esther muttered. _He will probably not last through the night, _the doctor had told her.

"My Queen, this place isn't secure. You need to accompany us to the palace immediately." A tall, red haired guard pressed. Esther nodded, and they exited the building.

They had gone a few blocks, when something swooped over their heads. The red haired guard instinctively hit the ground, a few others surrounded Esther, while the rest ran forward towards the landing point of the strange object. Soon, shots sounded out in the city, as the frontal guard opened fire. A shockwave ripped through them, knocking some men into pieces, and scattering the rest onto the ground, unconscious.

"It's him." One guard hissed.

"Yes, it's lord Cain." The red haired guard said menacingly. The other two guards turned in surprise, but he shot twice with his pistol, hitting them both in the chest, and killing them. Before Esther could react, he pointed the gun at her. "Don't move." He snarled. Cain approached calmly from where he had just killed the rest of Esther's guards.

"Good work." Cain said.

"Thank you, my lord." The guard said, kneeling. Cain raised his arm and blew off his head with a shockwave.

"Traitors are scum." He muttered. "Even my traitors." Esther backed away towards a gun, but Cain only smiled.

"What do you want?" Esther asked.

"Don't worry, I wont kill you, your _excellency_." Cain said simply. "Though Abel probably will." Having said this, he began to laugh.

- - - -

_(Inside a house in Kaltenkirchen, in northwest Germanicus) _

As soon as Abel finished drying himself, he exited. When he did, he was surprised to see Ion waiting outside.

"Astaroshe told me to wash up too. I guessshe wants some alone time with you, Abel." He said, giving him a wink. _Alone time? _Abel wondered as to what Ion was implying. It had taken Astaroshe until the end of their mission in Venice to even recognize him in a favorable light. _Perhaps he was just teasing, _Abel thought, walking towards the kitchen, but he had recognized something different in Astaroshe's attitude towards him, residing beneath her outward hostility when he had talked to her earlier in the day. _Perhaps. _

As he grew closer, he picked up the smell of fresh food. His stomach growled, demanding sustenance. He burst in eagerly, and seeing what was on the table, his mouth watered. Asta was sitting across the room, smiling at him as he entered. "I thought you'd be hungry so I put out all the food I could find." She said, motioning to the table. On it, was arrayed three large rolls of bread, and a few pieces of fruit.

"Thank you, Astaroshe!" Abel said, sitting down in the chair next to her and tearing into the first roll of bread.

"Please, call me Asta." She said softly. Her lips were so close to him that he felt the warmth of her breath. Abel looked from side to side, but Tres appeared to be outside. They were alone. Asta was smiling warmly.

"Ok Asta." Abel said, taking another bite out of his second roll. She put a hand on his shoulder as he ate, causing him to stiffen up, but he did not pull back. Her fingers were soft and delicate, sending an electric shock of response through Abel's body.

"Abel, I think it would be best if you returned to the Vatican with me, so you could report back to Caterina." Astaroshe finally said, after a long pause. Abel turned, and they made eye contact.

Abel considered this, and then shook his head in dismissal. "I no longer serve the Vatican. Until my brother is dead, I cannot be a priest."

"Why not?" Astaroshe asked, disheartened. She pulled her hand from his shoulder.

"Because I would need to abide by their rules, and I cannot allow any rules to get between myself and the destruction of my brother."

"Like the rule preventing you from killing innocent civilians in Albion? That rule?" Astaroshe snapped.

"What happened there was much more complicated than that. You can ask Ion!" Abel replied.

"I don't want to ask Ion! I want to ask you!" She said, frustrated to a point of anger, but there was still something pleading in her eyes that drew Abel.

"Asta.. I..." He paused, feeling around for the proper words.

"You what, Abel?" She asked surprisingly tender for the circumstances, drawing closer to him.

"I..." But he was at a loss. The door burst open and suddenly Abel drew back. Tres walked in.

"I have been waiting in the ship as ordered, Astaroshe." Tres said first. "I was contacted by the Iron Maiden. I have been told to tell you that there has been an attempt on the Queen's life, and a more recent sighting of Cain in Albion." Abel stood up from his chair immediately.

"On Esther?" He asked. Astaroshe dropped her head onto the table. "Well, I must go there right away."

"To Esther?" Asta asked weakly.

"To Cain." Abel corrected. _He and I have unfinished business._

"Why do you need to kill him so much?" Astaroshe asked.

"Because I hate him." Abel snarled. "He's everything that is evil in this world, and _anyone _who stands in my way will get the same treatment."

"You've changed Abel." Astaroshe muttered.

"Yes. I have." Abel replied. He began to walk towards the exit of the house. Because it was daytime, Astaroshe could not follow him. "Asta, tell Ion that he has command of the army. You can assist him if you wish." With this said, Abel left.

- - - -

_(The Alps, In Northern Vatican territory) _

It had taken Leon many hours to return to the camp of the Inquisitors through the heavy snow that was falling. When he finally made it, he collapsed in relief, knowing he didn't have to walk any farther. Inquisitors rushed to him, and helped him into a medical tent, where a doctor looked upon his numerous wounds and mild frostbite.

"You'll live." The doctor said, looking him over. "You'll keep your arm too, as soon as I get to reset it. Bite onto this." The doctor offered Leon a piece of cloth, which Leon eagerly bit into and closed his eyes. With a few solid jerks of his arm, it popped back into place, accompanied by searing pain, causing Leon to cry out. He was fortunate that the cold weather helped preserve the wounds and kept them from bleeding too profusely.

Paula walked in shortly after, wearing her two deadly swords. "What did you see, Leon?" She asked. He was glad she had finally arrived Leon had sent one of the men for Paula as soon as he arrived.

"They're here, over the next ridge of mountains. They could attack tonight." Paula nodded.

"The rebels?" Paula asked sharply.

"Contra Mundi. Reanimated vampires. Thousands of them."

"That's good. Finally we can kill them and be done with it." She said coolly.

"Paula, there's too many. You need to pull the Inquisitors back and get reinforcements." Leon urged.

"Those are not my orders." She replied

"You'll all die!" Leon yelled.

"If god wills it, then yes, we will, but I doubt that it his plan." Leon sighed. _What should I have expected from one of these Inquisitor hardheads. _She left without saying anything further, and soon the word got around. Men and women in the camp lit torches around the perimeter of the camp and prepped their weapons. The watches were doubled and parties were sent to patrol the surrounding mountains.

- - - -

Paula had heard all she wanted from Leon. _The cowardice and lack of faith in AX shocks me, _she thought. Her personal opinion that the group should be eliminated had been reinforced by her latest contact with one of their members.

"Everyone's still reporting in as usual. We don't have any disturbances." The chief watchman said, bowing slightly before returning to patrol. _I wouldn't put it beyond AX to make something up like this to influence the Inquisitors. _As she waited patiently, snow began to fall. Gentle flakes at first, it evolved into a raging blizzard in only a few minutes. The soldiers had to struggle to keep the torches lit. Time passed, and some of the watchmen grew drowsy.

Miraculously, the blizzard got worse, and visibility decreased. Now, even with the torches, it was impossible to see more than fifteen feet in any direction, and the snow muffled most of the talking. Paula walked along the line, bearing the snow without complaint. An inch-thick coating of it had covered her head and shoulders. The other inquisitors, on the other hand, shivered in the cold, and hunched themselves to preserve warmth. The wind blew the snow almost horizontally, momentarily blinding them for seconds at a time, and forcing them to squint.

It had been her third trip around the lines, when she heard the shouting. Rushing to it, she found one of the patrol laying on the ground next to a group of watchmen. He gasped and sputtered, but no words came out. "They came... no where... didn't see..." He finally said. The snow absorbed his steaming blood, until the flowing weakened, and he died. The death was no surprise. His shoulder had been struck with a large weapon, almost severing it.

Word spread along the line very quickly, and very quietly. Paula stared into the north, attempting to see through the impenetrable white curtain. "Draw your blades." She said quietly, drawing her own. The others pulled forth their own weapons, ranging from blades, mechanical lances, and a few assorted firearms.

They were blind in the snowstorm, waiting anxiously. Her comrades, many of whom she knew by name stood by her in a disorganized line. An axe flew from the obscure distance, and struck a man next to Paula. Gasping, he fell to the ground clutching the axe in an attempt to pull out the intruding steel, but it was too deep. _He's dead, _Paula knew it by the depth of the cut. The line strained their ears but they could hear nothing.

Another axe flew forwards, hitting another man a few to the left of Paula, but they could still not see who had thrown it. "Put out the torches." Was Paula's next order. _The lights must be giving away our position. _Another axe flew from the distance, this time, its target ducked and it barely missed. Drawing himself together, he charged into the snow. "Hold your position!" Paula ordered, but the man was too crazed to heed her. A dark shadow darted from obscurity and impaled the charging man with a sword, before leaping back out of sight. The stabbed man crawled in an attempt to make it back to the line, but died before he could get halfway back.

"Paula." A ragged voice said from behind her. She turned, but already knew who it was. Leon stood, with his throwing disks in hand.

"What do you want?" Paula demanded.

"If you are all going to get yourselves killed out here, I figured I'd help as long as I could." Leon said.

"Very well." Paula conceded. The next axe to be thrown was answered by a disk thrown by Leon, and she could hear the thump of a undead vampire hitting the ground.

No sooner had this happened, when all hell broke loose. Another wave of throwing weapons struck the lines, decimating them, and seconds later, black clad vampires struck the Inquisitor lines, moving so quickly that they barely had time to raise their blades in defense. Only a few, at first, they became a flood, running forward, cutting into an Inquisitor, and then rushing past them, or running back from where they had come.

The attackers made no noise, and the only thing that Paula could hear was the occasional scream of one of her men as they were killed. Hegrith, a young private that she had gotten to know for his wit, blocked the blow of one of the vampires and attempted to land a hit of his own, but the vampire knocked the blade out of his hand and then cut off his head with one swift motion, before disappearing into the blizzard.

Any Inquisitor that had a gun began to fire randomly into the distance, but it was hopeless. At this point, there were enemies on all sides, having already punched directly through their lines at multiple points. Hearing soft footsteps behind her, she ducked just in time to avoid a blade that would have severed her spine. One of her comrades impaled the attacker as it moved to finish her off, but as he pulled his blade out of the vampire, another attacker dug into his chest with an axe, killing him.

Some Inquisitors broke rank, and ran south as fast as they could, while others began to pray softly as they tried to anticipate the next sweeps. Hearing screams, Paula rushed back towards the camp. _The field hospital, _she thought fearfully. Leon put a hand on her shoulder to stop her, but she slapped it away.

"We need to get out of here now!" Leon urged.

"I know about your objective. To blow the pass with your explosives. Get out of here, and do it now." Paula said.

"What about you? What about the rest of your men?" Leon asked.

"Do you hear those screams?" Paula asked. Men wailed and begged in the background as vampires killed them one after another. "Can you hear them dying?" Men whimpered and sobbed as the last of their blood seeped from their bodies. "Those are my men, and my responsibility!"

"Good luck then." Leon said regretfully, moving quickly to the south. Paula rushed towards the medical tent, hearing the screams of the dying men inside, and knowing that she would not live much longer.


	11. Chapter 3: Section 4

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 3: Off to War**

**Section 3: Unexpected Repercussions**

Note: I wont ally myself with any particular group (AbelxEsther, or AbelxAstaroshe) as of yet. I will be as surprised as you guys as to how this turns out. I'm just going with the flow. "There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." -Walter Wellesley

_(In a Hospital in the Vatican) _

Brother Petros was getting increasingly restless. Though he had broken his leg and gotten hypothermia from the cold waters of Londinium's river, his injuries were, if not completely healed, at least in working condition. _God did not give me this body so that it could lie in a medical bed, _he thought, frustrated. But the Inquisitors had marched out just a few days ago, under the command of his able second-in-command, Paula, leaving Petros to wait in his bed.

Petros' demeanor did not earn him many friends, and visits were scarce. That's why he was surprised when a nurse announced that he had a visitor. Francesco entered a few moments later, on the heels of the nurse, with a grimace. A grimace that was noticeably more severe than Petros had seen on the Cardinal in a while. _And sadness? _

"I have bad news. The Inquisitors haven't reported back as planned. They're assumed dead... killed in the Alps by the rebels." He said. "They were your men, it was my duty to inform you of their loss." Francesco was most likely right. The Inquisitors had a strict time-table for keeping in contact with the Pope, but Petros couldn't believe it. Men that he had seen just days earlier. _Paula... all of them. So full of energy and zeal. _

"...All of them?" Petros choked on his words, stunned.

"Most casualty lists in combat with the same rebels has been one-hundred percent, and no Inquisitors are filtering back into the Vatican. They're gone Brother, I'm sorry." Francesco said sternly.

"I will not believe that all of them are dead." Petros answered stubbornly, rising out of his bed. He ripped the machine that had been holding up his leg cast, and throwing it across the room. _They're not dead. I can still save some of them. _

"They're gone. You must accept it, Petros. It was a possibility that this would happen as soon as we sent them into those mountains." Francesco's cold demeanor suddenly infuriated Petros, who eyed a pair of surgical blades on the tray next to his bed. _You sent my brothers and sisters to their deaths for nothing, you faithless coward. How dare you. _But he did not say these words, as much as Francesco deserved them. Instead, he began to limp out of the door. Francesco did not get in his way.

When he reached the hallway, a young nurse tried to stop him, and he pushed her aside, sending her to the ground. "But you're not healed yet, sir!" She sobbed. Seeing this, the rest of the hospital staff made no attempt to stop him.

- - - -

_(On the banks of the Ticino River in the Alps) _

Paula opened her eyes with her body and mind in complete misery. She was very disappointed; she had expected to see the light, because she was sure that she would already be dead, but all she saw was darkness. All she heard was the beating of her own stubborn heart and the gurgling of the river that had been her salvation. _Damn you! Damn you both! _She turned onto her side, feeling that one of her swords was still attached to her body._ Why am I alive? Why do I deserve to live, when my brothers are dead? I was the one to lead them to their deaths. I should have listened! _

She had chased one vampire out of the medical tent, and dodged back from the swipe of an axe, only to slip down a ledge and fall into the river. _But I was too late. _The sides and floor of the medical tent were splattered with blood when she had arrived. They had all been slain.

The few remaining garments that had clung to her in the frigid waters of the Ticino began to harden with frost, as the water in the cloth dropped rapidly in temperature. Shivering uncontrollably, she attempted unsuccessfully to pull herself to her feet. _I will suffer here, and for what I have done, I deserve to. _Laying prostrated for a few more minutes, she decided to do one last thing. Reaching for her sword with shaky hands, she struggled, and pulled it from its sheath. With great difficulty, she turned the blade around so that it was pointing towards her chest. _A warriors death. A clean death. _

Saying one last prayer, she utilized every ounce of her will, and pulled the blade into her own chest. The tip sunk in easily, but the thicker body of the blade got stuck in cartilage of her chest. Knowing that the incision wouldn't be enough, she cried out, and tried to pull it in farther, but her weak shivering arms could not entice the blade to go any deeper. Only a small rivulet of blood seeped out from the open wound. Helpless, she began to cry uncontrollably. The tears were the only warmth that she could feel as they streamed down her face. The horrified faces of each of the men she had lost flashed before her eyes. _I've failed them all. _

- - - -

_(Kaltenkirchen, in northwest Germanicus) _

He was here, and just like that, Abel left. Unable to follow him, Astaroshe was left behind. _Take control of the army, _he had said. If only the Terrans would accept her as easily as Abel imagined. _Ahh, well I still have a few hours before sunset to sort everything out. _

She could not keep her mind off of the conversation she had with Abel. _Was I being too forward?_ She hadn't wanted to throw herself at him, as much as her feelings for him overpowered her senses. She still wanted him to view her with respect.

"Where's Abel?" Ion asked. Astaroshe had been so occupied with processing what had happened that she did not notice Ion entering.

"He went to Albion." Astaroshe replied icily. She was still bitter from Abel's quick escape.

"Paying Esther a visit?" Ion asked, narrowing his eyes, but Astaroshe mistook this as a jab, and slapped him in a flash of anger. Sinking to his knees and cradling his face, Ion said nothing. Too late, Astaroshe realized what he had meant. _Ion loves Esther. Abel going to Albion is as much of a threat for him as it is for me. _Embarrassed at her mistake, Astaroshe offered her hand, and helped Ion to his feet.

"I'm sorry, I though that..." She began.

"I know what you thought I meant. I should have worded it differently." Ion muttered, walking briskly to the other end of the kitchen.

"So what do we do now?" Astaroshe asked.

"We will do what Abel's passion has left him unable to do. We'll lead this army south and save the Vatican."

- - - -

_(Inside the Ghetto, in Londinium) _

The procession of scholars moved through the Ghetto, the underground factory complex in Londinium that provided the country with it's advanced technology. Seeing each of the machines and the processes used to make them, the scholars gasped and cheered in delight. None of them had anticipated just how sophisticated the complex would be, except for one.

As dictated by Erin's plan, the vampires would teach the human scientists how to operate the machinery. On this day, they were being given a run-through of the production of computer chips, when one of the members of the procession spoke up. "Chips are all very nice and interesting, but what about missiles. Certainly that technology is much more important." The stranger said.

The vampire guide eyed him suspiciously, and took out the list that he had been handed. "You're Dr. Wiseman, correct?" The stranger nodded. "From the institute of... advanced military development affairs?"

"Yes, that's correct." The stranger said impatiently.

"I haven't heard of that organization. I believe you were added very recently. Doesn't your organization conflict with the institute of military technology?"

"We're a specific offshoot." The guide narrowed his eyes, and nodded.

"Very well." He said. "We'll be going over missiles tomorrow."

"I don't have until tomorrow. It's a very ridged time line." The stranger stated.

"What is it that you want to know?" The guide asked, having a time line of his own to enforce.

"Is there a surviving terminal for the launch sequence I could analyze?" The stranger asked bluntly.

"Most of the terminals were destroyed in an accident just recently, but there is a backup terminal."

"Where is it?"

- - - -

_(In a private residence in Londinium) _

When she woke up, she was surprised at just how comfortable she was. The temperature in the room was just right, and her restraints were not too tight. _Yet they are secure. _Esther had tried to free herself in the beginning, but she had only managed to tear off layers of her skin and hurt herself.

For the most part, Cain watched her silently across the room, or walked out to do something else. It had been a few hours after he captured her before he first spoke. "I can see why Abel likes you so much." He said, surprisingly calm, sitting in a chair across from her.

"How could you begin to imagine that?" Esther hissed, seething.

"Abel and I are brothers. Almost identical in every way. We think alike." He said, rising from his chair and walking towards her.

"How dare you compare yourself to him. You're a vile creature, and he's a good man!" She shouted. Despite her shouts, he walked closer, and ran a finger gently through her hair. He trailed it down as he spoke.

"We fought wars together, Abel and I. We killed more humans than you can fathom. Many of those just by ourselves." He whispered. "Do you know that you resemble someone that Abel loved? That's why he cares for you so much. Yet, you are no where near as beautiful as she was, you're just a dirty Terran." Saying this, he pressed the back of her neck with his fingernail, making Esther squirm. "If you ever do get close to him, he will curse you every day for being almost, but not entirely what he remembered of her." He buried his nail into her soft skin, breaking the skin.

"Stop it!" Esther cried.

"Don't worry. You'll be dead soon, and with what's coming... it will be a blessing." He paused, looking her over again, before turning to leave.

- - - -

_(Vatican Council meeting) _

The news of the destruction of the entire department of Inquisition left the Council in a storm of doubt. "If they can kill our inquisitors that easily, they can surely destroy any other forces we send at them!" One councilor shouted frightfully.

"That is blasphemy!" Francesco shouted. "God would never let us fall. We are his kingdom! We must raise another army and send it north immediately, and with his help, we will vanquish these demons!" Caterina sighed. _Yet again, you are wrong brother. _

"We are well out of the range of Venice, and the enemy army is advancing faster than we could possibly reinforce it. We must have the city evacuated." Caterina interjected. _Maybe some good can be pulled from this meeting. _

"What would the New Human Empire think if they saw us evacuating our cities!?" Francesco roared. "We would open ourselves up to their attacks!"

"We do not evacuate our cities, madame! We have a precedent to keep. What would the people think? We are a proud-" Another councilor began to add.

"Is pride not a sin?" Caterina asked, silencing him. The Pope covered his ears with his hands, escaping into his own mind away from the violent shouts, but the argument continued. Finally, Francesco did what Caterina long expected him to do, and stood up, approaching the Pope.

"Your excellency, you must dispatch the army!" Francesco demanded. Alessandro did not reply, but turned to Caterina.

"Your excellency! Evacuate the north and we will make our stand where we are ready!" Caterina urged. Francesco tried again.

"Your excellency! God demands that we dispatch the army! You must do it now!"

"Silence!" Alessandro finally answered, amazingly loud for his high-pitched voice. Francesco stepped back in astonishment. _Yes brother, you can do it. _

"I have already sent men north..." He said, piecing the logic together. "And they are all dead!"

"But God wills..." Francesco said, his voice softer than Caterina had ever heard it.

"They are dead, brother. God does not will it. I say..." He paused, growing bolder. "I demand that Venice be evacuated at once." Caterina gave him another sharp look. _The army brother, you must give an order to the army. _"I also... demand that the army erect a wall around the city... a big one, so they cant get it!" _Not quite what we wanted, but good nonetheless. _

"The Pope has spoken!" Caterina said, smiling. Francesco returned to his chair, dumbstruck.


	12. Chapter 4: Section 1

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 4: With All the Might of God **

**Section 1: Holy Wrath**

Note: While writing this, I think I've found the core meaning of embarrassed. Think about it. En-Bare-Assed. Pretty humiliating. "How does that fit into the chapter at all?", you may ask. Read and find out! TY all faithful readers, you're about to get your reward. The final battle is coming in the next few chapters.

_(On the road in Germanicus) _

The people in the small army were surprised when Astaroshe announced that she would be leading them in Abel's absence, but they did not make any great uproar, or decide to elect another leader. _Being led by an ex-priest who transforms into a demon must not have been much different. _

"There are many more than before." Ion had whispered when the meeting was just beginning. He was right. The followers had swelled by at least another five-hundred men during the day. As a warrior and a noble of the Methuselah, Astaroshe had been trained to approximate troop strengths. _They number two-thousand at least. _

She was about to order that they march south after the Contra Mundi army, when she saw that many of the rag-tag bunch had already started prepping themselves for the march. _They barely need me._ "Let's go!" She shouted.

"About time." One of them muttered to his companion. They chuckled together. Astaroshe was angered at this open show of disobedience, but she knew better not to discipline them now. _Not unless I want them to get rowdy. _The small army sluggishly prepared their equipment, and set out, going south.

They had been marching for a few hours, passing burnt out and abandoned villages, when Ion spoke up. "I hate it when you treat me like a child." He said simply, staring ahead.

"Then perhaps you shouldn't always be acting like one." Astaroshe snapped back.

"The ant accuses the beetle of being small." Ion responded.

"What the hell do you mean!?" Astaroshe questioned, stopping. The army shuffled past them, not halting.

"Perhaps you should watch your own actions before punishing me for mine! You yelled at me for mourning the death of my Grandmother, yet I saw your eyes when you learned of Abel's death, and then you went to wash up in the other room, you didn't..."

"No, I did not cry." Astaroshe lied.

"Even so! You mock my feelings for Esther, and then you freak out when Abel leaves for Albion. I will not march another step until you apologize." Having said this, he rooted his feet to the ground, and narrowed his eyes decisively.

Astaroshe's temper flared. _Insolent child. _Yet, Ion was correct. "You're right. I'm sorry, Ion. I shouldn't have hit you. Lately, I have had little control of my emotions. It's just..." She trailed off, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

"I know. I've felt the same way." Ion said wistfully. He paused for a few moments, and then glanced to Astaroshe knowingly, deciding to elaborate. "I feel a longing... a perpetual ache in my chest that never lessens. Every moment I close my eyes, I think of her hair, her eyes, her..."

"His smile." Astaroshe added. _But recently, his mood has been far less cheerful. _

"If they ever do get together... we could..."

"In your dreams you little pervert." Astaroshe answered, laughing.

- - - -

_(Outside the walls of Rome) _

Surveying the construction, Caterina could not believe just how well it had all turned out. She had gotten in contact with architects and military officers soon after the meeting, and conscripted them to draw up a plan on defending the city from the tough, superhuman soldiers they would be soon facing. They had constructed small permeable barriers, which were enough to slow the enemy's advance, but not enough to shield them from direct fire. Each barrier was marked at a certain range, so that the artillery could be adjusted easily and accurately.

A soldier in the town guard, by the name of Brian Oliver invented an ingenious and easily constructed self-activating explosive device, which would trigger a small charge after a line had been tripped, or, even better, when pressure was applied.

Even civilian inventors were pitching in. Aside from designing obstacles and crude weapons, one man invented a new munition, one that would fire a case filled with silver bullets that would break open above the enemy, and spray silver shrapnel upon them. All nearby factories had also retrofitted their machines to produce silver bullets, silver pikes, and other silver weapons. _Indeed, the whole weight of this nation is dedicated to the struggle. _

"The dry Moat is almost complete, Cardinal." One engineer announced, before quickly scurrying away. Francesco was so furious, he didn't even wish to take part in the construction_. Your interference wont be missed, brother, _she thought with a smug grin. The dry moat would be a dry ditch which would surround the city. Civilians were given credit for all the wood and other flammable materials they filled it with. _And when they attempt an attack on the city, we'll burn them all alive. _

She looked up, hearing another set of gunshots. _They're at it again. _The young pope had raised his own militia from the city, and its ranks had grown into the tens of thousands. They had taken every weapon they could find and were drilling with how to use them. Gunshots being fired in volley were now a common occurrence in the city. Surprising her, Alessandro approached. _He's never out on his own! _

"Sister..." He said meekly.

"Yes?" Caterina asked gently, not wanting to upset the fragile-minded boy.

"I'm... I am..." He stopped, and thought out what he meant to say. "Will we beat them, sister?"

"Yes, I believe we will." _We will give this everything we have. God help us if we fail. _

- - - -

_(Queen's Palace in Londinium)_

"Where is Esther!" Abel thundered, shaking a stout guard in the air.

"She was taken..."

"By WHO?!" Abel demanded.

"By him!" The guard replied stupidly, scared witless by the robed man who was shaking him. "By... the man, in the sky. The one who fought..."

"Cain?" Abel shouted, dropping the man to the ground. _You've done it now, brother. _He looked menacingly to the sky, and then back to the guard. "How dare you let her go! You've failed your country."

"Yes!" He squeaked, curling himself in a ball on the floor. "Yes, I have. Please, don't hurt me, I know where she is! I know where he's keeping her! I trailed him."

"Where!" The severity of Abel's tone made the guard shiver.

"In the old Davidson mansion! Off of the square!" Abel wasted no time, and ran out of the building, sprinting down the street. When the guard was certain that Abel had left, he got up and cleaned himself off. Walking to the corner of the room, he picked up a small device and pressed down on the side.

"Abel is on his way. Everything is prepared as you willed it, lord Cain."

- - - -

_(Davidson Mansion, Londinium) _

For some reason, everything had been speeding up for the last couple of hours. _They are preparing for something, but for what? _Esther wondered. Even though Esther had not spoken up for hours, Cain had gagged her, and then rearranged the room multiple times. He did not even try to recognize her questioning mumbles, muffled by the gag. Then, Cain picked up some device, and listened. Putting it back into his pocket, he smiled, and abruptly left the room, before flipping a switch on a small box across from Esther. _What is that? _There were wires running out of it, and it was beeping very silently. There was something very ominous about the beep as it continued for minute after minute.

The door opened again. Expecting it to be Cain, Esther closed her eyes and dropped her head against her chest. _He's going to kill me, I know it. _

"Esther?" _That's not Cain's voice... it's. _She looked up just in time to see Abel removing her gag.

"Abel!" She cried out happily. "Quick, help me get out of this chair!" She said, looking from one side to another. Abel quickly began to untie her, but then Esther remembered what Cain had done. "Abel..." She whispered urgently. Abel paid no attention, focusing on getting her legs free.

The door behind Abel silently opened, and Cain stepped through. "Abel, it's a trap!" Esther cried.

Abel turned, surprised, as Cain flexed his raised fingers and shot a powerful shockwave from his hands.

- - - -

_(In the Alps) _

When Paula opened her eyes, she was momentarily blinded by a large bright light directly ahead of her. Disoriented, she gasped, reaching out with her hands. _I'm laying on my back. _"Please god." She muttered groggily. The piercing light hurt her eyes, but she would not close them. She would not squint as the light approached. _Is it approaching? _She could not tell. _How pure, how clean this glorious light. _

"Lord..." Her slow thoughts struggled to find the right words. "... I'm ready lord. End my suffering."

"Not yet." A familiar voice replied. _That can't be god, what's going on. _Her thoughts started to speed up, her vision began to clear. _Where am I? _She realized that she was laying on her back on a hard surface. The bright light lost it's intensity as her eyes adjusted.

"Where am I?" She demanded, flailing her arms, but they did not move. Something was covering her. An object moved in front of the light. As her perception grew, she recognized it as a face. "Who are you? What do you want..?" She looked down, seeing that a blanket was covering her. She suddenly realized that the piercing cold that she had felt was gone. Finally, she could see with blurry, but otherwise good vision.

"Don't worry Paula. It's me." The man said.

"Petros?" She whispered weakly, not believing that it was true.

"You're safe, Paula." He said. She could see that he was smiling broadly. _But he never smiles. _Her vision cleared up, and she straightened herself out, and the blanket fell a few inches. That was when she realized that she was naked. Covering herself frantically, she lost her balance and rolled onto the metal floor. Petros' strong hands guided her back up to where she was lying. "Don't worry. Sit down until you get your bearings. I almost lost you. I had to take your water-logged clothes off immediately or you would have died." Paula did what he said, laying down still.

"Where are we?" She asked, seeing the white walls and devices all around them.

"I borrowed this ship when I heard about what happened. I found Leon next to a rockslide which had clogged up the mountain pass, he told me that the river was the only way south besides the pass, and that was my only chance to find you." _So Leon was successful. _

"Who gave you the mission?" Paula asked.

"No mission. I'm no longer a servant of the Vatican." Petros answered. _He searched for me on his own accord. _"In fact, you're officially dead two. Neither of us are Inquisitors anymore." Paula smiled, but grew serious again.

"If you're not on mission, how did you get this ship?" She asked.

"I had to... steal it from the hanger." Petros admitted.

"You did that, just to find me?" Paula asked meekly. She looked down and realized that his arm was still around her back from where he had helped her onto her makeshift bed. Her heart began to beat a little faster, and she could feel her face flush with excitement. However, his hand slipped away, and he withdrew, going to the cockpit. She so yearned to feel his touch again, but he had also ordered her to lay down. _I will get my grips first, and then I will get some clothes. _Her skin tingled from where his fingers had been.

_- - - -_

_(Londinium, the Davidson Mansion) _

Abel had barely had enough time to summon his own energies as the shockwave closed in. But thanks to Esther's warning, he had been able to block himself from a direct hit by generating his own static charge. The force of Cain's attack had still been enough to knock him backwards, sending him crashing through the brick wall of the house, and into the street below. His gun had been dislodged from his holster, and was probably laying somewhere in the room. _How dare you, Cain? How dare you, you coward! _Feeling his rage intensify, Abel's transformation began on its own. He leapt to his feet.

He completed his transformation in seconds. Cain peered through the hole in the side of the building, maddeningly calm, and with his arms still raised. He shot another shockwave, this time, Abel beat his wings and dodged to the sky as the sound waves destroyed the stone-paved street beneath him, throwing rocks and rubble in every direction. Spreading his wings, Cain flew after him into the air, but did not attack further.

"Enough of this, brother!" Cain shouted, holding up a small device. Abel hesitated. _What is that thing? _"If you move, I push this button, and your little Esther blows up." Abel froze, torn between his hate for his brother and his love for Esther.

"Don't..." Abel whispered. Cain laughed triumphantly. _You'll die for this Cain, I swear it. _

- - - -

_(In the Ghetto, the underground complex in Albion) _

Dmitri hacked away at the keyboard, prepping the launch. He had been broken from the dungeon just as the Queen was kidnaped, and in the whole mess, no one had even noticed his absence. Changing his hair color and setting up a dummy institute was enough to gain him entrance to one of the most secure facilities in the world. _They never learn, do they? _

Cain had taught Dmitri how to operate the computers, and start the launch of the missile. He even knew all the codes. Looking up, he saw a few extra digits were on screen that he did not type. Looking to the keyboard, he saw the problem. The sticky blood from his fingers had attached a few of the keys together. _What a nuisance. _He reached down, cleaning his hands on the shirt of the dead vampire guide who had directed him to the terminal.


	13. Chapter 4: Section 2

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 4: With All the Might of God**

**Section 2: Rex Tremendae **

_(Above Londinium) _

Abel hovered, with his large, black wings beating softly. The cold air rushed along his body, sending shivers through his spine, but he did not pay the cold any heed. All of his fears had suddenly been realized. _There is nothing more cruel or cowardly that you could have done. _

Cain was still smiling, with one finger pressing down on a small button on the side of a threatening metallic device, only millimeters away from triggering the explosive which sat right next to Esther. Cain raised his hand slowly, until it was stretched out completely before him. "I see your compassion has paralyzed you again, my dear brother," he began, chuckling softly. Cain flexed his fingers gently.

A small crowd began to gather beneath the two, watching anxiously. Abel stared ahead blankly, not able to decide between the two horrible choices Cain had set before him. "Don't worry brother. When you're dead, I will take your nanites into my body. We will be as one." The air distorted violently in front of Cain's hand as sound-waves turned the air particles into a deadly storm, and this storm moved towards Abel with terrifying speed. Just in time, Abel made his decision.

- - - -

_(Germanicus: on the road to Rome) _

Astaroshe's feet were sore. _It has been a long time since I walked this long, _she thought. She felt another jab of pain as she took another step. _The airships have made me soft. I will need to toughen my feet yet again. _Ion seemed to be suffering too, walking gingerly on his own small feet. "We will need to stop soon. The sun will rise," Ion stated, seeing the small tint of color beginning to peak over the horizon.

"It is a shame. We are still far from Rome. I only hope that they will be able to hold on long enough for us to help," she stated sadly. _I am not one to miss a battle. _

"Well, they still have AX, and who knows what they've planned," Ion said with a cheerful smile. _Or do they? Abel is in Albion, and Tres is... _Astaroshe looked up, finally realizing that she had not remembered to keep contact with Tres. _He could still be with the ship! _

"Where's Tres?" Astaroshe asked, afraid that they had lost the simple-minded cyborg. Ion realized this too, and they both looked behind them in the long column for any trace of him. "You lead the head of the column, Ion," Astaroshe ordered, turning back. "I'll find him." _If he's even here. _Rushing back along the line of men, she tried to find the cyborg by quickly scanning over each head of their army, but she could not locate him.

"Tres!" She shouted. "Tres! Report!"

"Reporting," a monotone voice responded from the center of the mass. Astaroshe rushed to where she had heard the sound, and almost passed directly by Tres. She almost didn't recognize him because he was wearing a decorative hat.

"Tres! Why are you wearing that hat?" she demanded, angry that he had frightened her so much.

"What do you have against Tres' hat?" a teenage boy asked, laughing.

"And just who are you?" Astaroshe questioned, walking alongside them with her eyes narrowed.

"I-,"

"We!" Another teenager interjected, stepping next to his companion.

"Yes, we," The first one continued. "We are the Hedlin brothers, at your service ma'am." He bowed showily and then cracked a wry smile.

"I see," Astaroshe said, not amused. "Tres, come with me."

"We've just been 'hanging out'." Tres said, staring ahead blankly. "They 'decked me out' with this 'sweet apparel'." _What have they done to him? _

"What?" Astaroshe asked, guiding him away from the boys. _They're a bad influence for him. Soon Tres will be learning to gamble. _

"I can see why you want to hold onto him so badly. Tres is the coolest guy here!" The other teenager said, smiling brightly.

"Confirmed. Body temperature at lower point than all analyzed humans at this time." Tres replied, emotionless. The two brothers cheered.

"Ah! We're almost back to where we started from, Henry!" one boy said in the distance. Asta turned quickly, seeing that the sun was close to rising.

"How far away is it?" She asked. _We'll need shelter soon. _

- - - -

_(In an airship heading towards Rome) _

Paula walked softly into the cockpit, and sat down beside Petros as he worked the controls. She felt much more comfortable now that she had changed back into her clothes, which were now relatively dry. She smiled at Petros, but he only stared ahead blankly. The entire ship was completely quiet except for the quiet humming of the engine as they got closer and closer to Rome.

"I'm going to turn myself in," Petros said calmly, as he guided the craft towards the city. Paula couldn't believe what he had said, and turned in shock.

"But Petros, you can't! They'll arrest you for what you did!" She exclaimed. _Please, just stay with me. _

"All the better that they do. I must face the consequences for my actions, Paula," He said grimly, starting to dip the nose of the craft to begin landing. Paula was about to speak out, but his stone-cold demeanor convinced her otherwise. _He isn't going to change his mind. _Paula bit her tongue, and Petros landed the craft gently in the hangar. Officials rushed around it, some leveling weapons at the craft. _Lighter security than I remember. _

"Come out quickly!" one officer demanded. Petros rose, and walked towards the exit. _If I do nothing now, he will be gone forever, _she realized. As Petros' hand moved to the controls to open the side of the ship, Paula's hand stopped him mid-way.

"Paula, let me do this." Petros said coldly.

"Petros..." she whimpered helplessly. Recently, she could barely contain her infatuation for him. "Thank you for saving my life." She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest, feeling the warmth of his torso pressed up against her, and the gentle heaves of his chest as he breathed. Petros was taken aback at first, but he cautiously wrapped his arms around her as well. "Don't go," she pleaded.

"I must." He said gruffly, pulling away from her. He pressed the controls and the door opened. Paula watched on as her chance slipped away.

"You there! Walk down the ramp slowly, and put your hands behind your head!" the officer shouted, waving his rifle threateningly at Petros. He complied, walking steadily towards them. Paula watched him go in horror from the entryway of the ship. "And you!" the officer shouted to Paula. "Get down from there immediately."

"She hasn't done anything wrong," Petros said calmly. "Let her go."

"I'll be the one giving orders," The officer yelled, swinging the butt of his gun into Petros' gut. Petros doubled over, wheezing. "You're both going to prison for a long time!"

Petros rolled over, seeing guards approach Paula, who stared at him with pleading eyes. "To heck with this!" Petros growled, rising to his feet.

"Hey, you-," the officer began, but he was cut off abruptly as Petros' fist smashed into his jaw, breaking it. Paula saw this, and with a quick kick and a following uppercut, she knocked the two guards next to her to the floor. They moaned, writhing on the ground.

Petros ran into the ship, with Paula following him, and he wasted no time in bringing the ship back into the air. From that point, he set it to autopilot, and the Knight of Destruction, and the Lady of Death began to kiss.

- - - -

Leon sprinted back with all of his speed. _At least I did my job, _he reasoned, but it had hardly seemed like enough. _The Inquisitors are destroyed, and Rome is about to be overrun. _He had detonated the explosives successfully, crushing hundreds of Dietrich's puppets, and trapping another dozen on his side. _At least I killed them. _But the thousands that were left quickly began pulling away the rubble. Leon had only delayed them for half of a day. _Hopefully enough time. _

One thing troubled him. Dietrich was dead. _Who is controlling those corpses. I must find out if Rome will stand a chance in the weeks to come! _To his surprise, as he traveled south, he found the towns and cities deserted. Everyone had already gone south. Leon rushed along, hoping that he would find some way to get to the capital in good time.

Somewhere among the deserted road, he heard the cry of a young girl, and decided to investigate it immediately. She continued to wail as he approached. Leon grimaced, drawing the only weapon he had left. He came to a clearing, to see the man holding the squealing little girl down and laughing. "Just give me the ring and I'll protect you, little girl. It's a really good deal," he said, laughing maliciously.

"Let the girl go now, and you'll be protecting yourself," Leon warned.

"What the hell do you want..." the man questioned, turning. Leon aimed his rocket launcher carefully.

"Ever see one of these?" Leon asked, rubbing the trigger with his index finger. "Do you want to see what it does to people?"

"Ok man, I'll leave you two alone," he said softly, raising his hands up and backing away. The little girl jumped up and began to run away.

"Please wait!" Leon called out. The little girl turned, still somewhat scared.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"Do your have parents?"

"Y-yes," she responded.

"Could I, by any chance, hitch a ride to Rome?"

- - - -

_(The Davidson mansion, in Londinium_)

Esther was glad that Cain hadn't tied her restraints down uncomfortably tight. _Just give me a few moments, Abel. Please. _She grasped out with her hand towards Abel's pistol, which was only a few inches from her hand. _Just a little bit more. _Hearing Cain's laugh, she groped out more fiercely, and her fingers brushed the gun, pushing it further away. Almost crying out in despair, Esther threw her hand against the ropes, but she could not reach.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Cain raise his hands. _Abel will die because of me, just like last time, _she thought. _I will not live, knowing that. I will not feel that pain again. _She hurled herself against the ropes, knocking her chair over, and her fingers finally grasped the pistol. Pulling it into her palm, she raised it. She aimed towards the large box as best as she could, and fired. However, her shots were drowned out by the sound of a huge shockwave ripping through the sky. _I'm too late. _The clip was empty, and all she had hit was a small red wire hanging from the side of the box.

"Go ahead!" Abel shouted. Esther looked up, suddenly hopeful. "I've made my decision brother. If she must die so that you will finally be destroyed, than that is what must happen. Compared to your destruction, she matters nothing to me."

- - - -


	14. Chapter 4: Section 3

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 4: With All the Might of God**

**Section 3: Reckoning**

_(Behind the fortifications of Rome) _

_Bong! _The bells of Rome tolled, but this time, it was not to announce the death of a prominent church leader, or to celebrate a great event. This time, the bells warned of the coming of an army, which, by all precedents set by this invading force, would level the capital of the Vatican before nightfall.

_Bong! _In the streets where she had just been walking, people rushed in two directions. Some ran to their homes, and other ran to the northern defenses of the city. Many of them carried weapons. Caterina observed one boy, no older than fourteen tearing himself from the clutches of his pleading mother with a rifle in his hands. _The time has come. _She was passed by a column of city guardsmen, marching in step. Some of them had pikes.

_Bong! _Caterina walked up to the main tower, which would be the command center for the defense of Rome. Two guards stepped aside, allowing her through. The sound of the bells were muffled by the tower's thick walls, after she closed the door behind her. Francesco was already there, watching out of a small window as a swarm of black swept over the hills surrounding the city. "The citizenry aren't rioting again, are they?" Francesco asked, staring ahead.

"No," Caterina answered.

"The cowards have probably already fled." He turned to Caterina, narrowing his eyes. "Where is the pope, I assumed he would be with you."

"He insisted that he join the guardsmen operating artillery on the main wall, just a few towers to the east of us," Caterina answered. Hearing this, Francesco chuckled, but said nothing. The dark swarm advanced menacingly, faster than Caterina had anticipated. She was amazed to see that more were still spilling over the crest of the hill to the north. Francesco's hands curled into fists.

"They aren't stopping," Francesco muttered. He was right; the enemy hadn't paused in front of the city, but continued to advance at the same pace. _There must be at least ten-thousand. _"They're almost at five-hundred yards. Why aren't we firing?" Francesco demanded.

"Soon, brother." Caterina answered, watching as they approached the first firing posts. She saw the first enemy cross the invisible firing-line, created by a row of posts arranged at precisely five-hundred yards. "Now." There was a resounding boom from the walls around them. Vibrations from the discharge of hundreds of pieces of artillery at once caused dust to fall from the ceiling of the old tower. Caterina watched the small projectiles soar out at almost exactly the same trajectory. The reanimated corpses charged directly into the fire. The rounds hit, exploding in a near-solid line, and immersing a swath of the field in a fireball. The Crimson flames leapt out for a moment, scorching the ground and sky, and then the flame passed. Only clouds of dust remained to see, but the enemy continued to pour into the smokescreen, some survivors emerged unscathed, charging unstoppably as if nothing had happened.

The wind picked up, blowing the dust across the field. _That wind, _Caterina thought with horror. _If it changes towards us, then it will blow the smoke into our faces and we wont be able to fire accurately. _

"Reload, damn you," Francesco snarled, watching the swarm approach with twitching eyes. As if to answer his request, a single piece of artillery fired. "What's going on?"

"They must be firing at will," Caterina answered. As other, slower crews finished reloading, their batteries fired as well, crescendoing and then easing away again. These impacts were spread out, fired at the discretion of each officer. The appeared to be doing little, despite the large balls of flame which soared into the sky with each impact. _They're almost in rifle range. _Scattered land-mines began to go off, claiming a few with each blast. Suddenly, the wind picked up again, but this time it had changed direction. _It's heading directly towards us. _

"Order the artillery not to fire!" Caterina shouted urgently.

"No! Are you mad, sister!" Francesco replied. "Keep firing!" Caterina heard more reports of the large cannons, and sunk into her seat.

"The wind..." she whispered. The cloud of dust, whipped up by dust pulverized by explosions, approached them, much more menacing than the soldiers scurrying underneath it, as it swept over the walls and engulfed them in darkness. She could hear the confused shouts of the men. _They're already in rifle range. _

The land-mines began to detonate at a much faster pace, warning the defenders of the hordes of enemies passing beneath their sight. Even though they could not see, they began to fire into the obscure cloud, hoping their shots would hit due to the sheer number of potential targets. Someone gave the order, and the dry moat was set afire, adding even more smoke to the air. The roaring inferno would protect them. _But for how long?_

_- - - - _

_(In the mountains in northern Vatican territory) _

The cold had been hard on the ragtag army, many of whom had began the climb with insufficient clothing, but losses had been surprisingly minimal. She voiced her concerns to Ion.

"Look back at them," Ion said, motioning his head to the band. "Look at their faces. They're survivors. They wont let themselves die up here without getting to fight in the memory for who they've lost." Astaroshe looked, and saw their faces. They were dirty with grime from many days without a bath. Mostly, their mouths were pursed, and they didn't talk, but their eyes were most telling. They stared ahead with grim determination. _He's right. _She admired Ion for a moment, before turning back ahead. _He has wisdom beyond his years. _

She remembered as they marched passing towns and cities filled with burnt out buildings and corpses. Some of the men had lived in these places, but they had not stopped. They did not even take a moment to mourn the dead they saw. Each vision of horror they witnessed hardened their spirits.

"There! In the distance!" Ion called out, pointing ahead between two mountains. Astaroshe saw it. Green fields waited for them on the other side of the mountains. Soon, they would come to Venice.

- - - -

_(In the skies above Albion) _

Deciding in the last split second to summon his powers, Abel had made his decision. As much as he cared for Esther, many more people, not just Esther and him, would die if he did not act. Cain was surprised, but he clamped down on the device only a second later. Nothing happened.

Their duel began. Abel shouted out Cain's name, firing another charged, electrical beam towards his brother, but he missed. Cain replied calmly with invisible shots of his own, which ripped through the air around Abel, but Abel dodged these easily. The whole city of Londinium watched their battle in amazement, not sure of who to cheer for.

"It's just me and you, brother!" Cain said, firing two more overlapping shots. Abel fired a burst of electricity, which split the two shots and advanced through, still firing. They had been at this for almost half an hour, but neither could land a shot.

Abel had a hard time thinking clearly. His rage for Cain clouded his judgement. Knowing this, Cain flew towards the ground, knowing that Abel would follow. Abel fired a few more shots, but missed, hitting the city below them. They ripped into the ground, pulverizing crowded streets.

Cain turned and fired another blast, which Abel ducked beneath. This shockwave struck a high tower, causing it to explode and fall in chunks onto the street and into the water. Next, Cain ducked behind the wall of an old house. Roaring, Abel obliterated the wall with a burst of electricity and dodged through the smoke. Frightened civilians ran from the duel as fast as they could move their legs, some screamed in terror.

"I'm here, brother." Cain said. Abel ran forward blindly, cutting swaths through the dust with his scythe hoping to skewer Cain, but he had left himself exposed. Cain emerged from the dust with amazing, speed, swinging his fist. Abel ducked at the last moment, to see Cain's arm fly over him and strike another wall, pulverizing the building to dust, and shaking the earth. _What? _He stood in front of Abel, with his arms raised. The air around him, and Cain himself, seemed to be moving with the distortions of the sound waves he usually shot as projectiles. _The sound waves are in his fists, I cannot allow such a concentration of energy to strike me. _A blur of Cain's fist shot downward towards Abel's stomach, but he sidestepped. The street below them turned into a storm as rocks shot into the sky.

Abel swung his scythe around, missing Cain barely. Recovering from his swing, he reversed the head of his scythe and tried again. This time, Cain met the scythe with his fists, and with one heavy blow, the weapon shattered. Disarmed, Abel summoned his electric powers with all urgency, as Cain charged again. This time, when Cain lashed out, Abel met his punch with his arm, and the two exploded in a blinding light. Electricity met sound waves, and exploded with equal force, dividing Abel from his brother. Cain pulled back and swung his arm again, Abel raised his hands just in time to meet the blow, but it only changed the path of Cain's fists a few inches. Grazing the top of his skull, the weaker sound waves blew Abel aside, and through a stone wall. Abel got up, ignoring the scared family in the kitchen he had been blown into.

Walking back out of the hole, he saw Cain standing directly ahead of him. Cain shot a sound wave at the same time Abel shot a stream of electricity. Abel's shot won at first, but steadily began to retreat as Cain's sound waves pummeled it backwards. "It's no use, brother! I'm stronger!" _That's what you think. _Abel waited for the sound waves to be just a few feet from his body before he unleashed the full power of his attack, taking Cain off guard. Cain's spread-out attack lost all it's ground in a moment as the electricity struck Cain dead on. This threw him back fifty feet into a wall, breaking one of his ribs, but he stood up without hesitation. Spreading his wings, Cain took the sky again.

Abel followed him relentlessly, shooting more wild beams of electricity at his brother. He fired more frantically when he saw where Cain was going. _How dare you, Cain? You know that killing Esther will change nothing. I will still kill you! _Cain flew into the Davidson mansion, right into the room where Esther had been held. Flying after him, Abel screamed for blood.

When he entered, Cain was directly behind Esther, who he had ripped out of her chair, and his arms were pointed directly at her head. "Don't move Abel. She'll die because of you if you move one step!" Abel nodded, his eyes glistening with fury.

"Abel..!" She yelled, before Cain smacked the back of her head with his hand as a warning.

"Fine." He muttered darkly. Esther watched, not saying a word. Abel turned, so that his side was facing Cain, and looked down in feigned defeat. Cain smiled again, and out of the corner of his eyes, Abel saw him raise his hands to finish him off. In one quick motion, he spread his wings, from where they were neatly tucked at his back, to their full extension. He felt the tip of his left wing, which was cut into a point in Abel's earlier battle when Cain had blown it off, sink into Cain's chest. Horrified, Cain's shot went too high, hitting the ceiling of the room. Plaster and sharpened wooden splinters fell on the three of them. Abel pulled his wing free, and ran through the falling debris towards Esther.

Not being able to see, he crashed into her, falling on top of her body. His wings wrapped themselves around Esther to shield her from the storm of wood. When it had cleared, the sun was showing openly into the room. The roof had been completely blown off, and a good portion of it was resting on Abel's back. Abel looked down, and saw that Esther was sobbing, and clutching herself against his body. But it wasn't finished.

Abel heard Cain rise, and turned to see an approaching shockwave. Pushing Esther aside with his foot, he ducked low and rolled across the rubble-strewn ground, getting up behind Cain. Cain turned slowly, with a gaping hole still in his chest, trying to aim his hands again. Abel held his arms in place with one hand, and with the other, he plunged his hand into Cain's gaping wound, and reached into his rib-cage.

"Abel.." Cain muttered, knowing he would lose. "You'll never stop me. You'll never kill me."

"Watch me." Abel snarled, tearing Cain's beating heart from his chest. Cain sank to the ground, but he was still alive, whispering something incoherent. Abel grabbed Cain's head, and as Cain aimed his last shot at Esther, he twisted his neck, snapping it. Cain's body fell limp to the ground.

- - - -

_(Inside the Ghetto)_

"Finally!" Dmitri exclaimed. The installation began to rumble as all the century-old locks and wheels churned into motion, opening a small hole in the ground, so the missile could be fired.

"We've done it!" He cried out, grabbing the head of the dead vampire guard, who stared ahead lifelessly. He picked the dead man up, and drew him to his feet and began to waltz in a circle with him, shouting triumphantly. "We did it! We did it!" He chanted, as the small amount of blood that remained in his wound seeped onto Dmitri's clothes.

_Ah yes. Rome will fall to our army, and now Madrid will go up in one huge explosion. With that bitch Esther dead, it should be easy for us to blame her for it. Albion and Hispania will go to war. When we are done, no nation will survive, not even the New Human Empire will be able to stand up to us. _

- - - -

_(In an airship above the Adriatic)_

Paula clung to Petros' chest, wrapping her arms snugly around him. His fingers ran through her hair. "There's no going back after this," Petros said. _I love you Petros. _

"Yes," Paula replied. _And thank god._ Petros' eyes began to close. He was very tired. He brushed her head gingerly off of his chest and got onto feet, changing back into his clothes. "Where are you going?" Paula asked.

"Rome is in danger, we need to help." _Please don't go. Not now. _Paula's eyes began to cloud with tears. Petros rested his hand on the side of Paula's cheek, looking into her eyes. "Will you fight by my side yet again, Paula?"

"Of course." She gave him what she intended to be a quick kiss, but it lingered for longer than she had anticipated. She pulled away, breathless. "Let's go save the city."


	15. Chapter 4: Section 4

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 4: With All the Might of God**

**Section 4: Shifting Darkness**

Note: Who knows why they did it! I guess that Petros and Paula just couldn't wait that long. ;)

Note: Who is directing the RCO... hmmmm could it possibly be... no it's actually... :o

_(On the walls of Rome) _

The clouds of dust stung Caterina's eyes, making it impossible to see anything that was going on, but the enemy had made it to the earthworks. _The Pope, I must get him from these walls. If he were to fall... _Caterina shuddered at the thought._ The morale of these men would shatter. _She pulled a small pistol from the table, and opened the door. Dark dust was replaced with light dust as she emerged into the once-bright morning air.

"Sister!" Francesco called out, coughing. "I'm coming with you!" Francesco stumbled to his feet and hurried after Caterina as she began to run eastward along the wall. She almost bumped into one man, who emerged without warning from the dust at a full run, and with a crazed look of overwhelming terror in his eyes.

"Just where are you going, soldier?" Francesco demanded, but the guardsman did not stop, and simply continued running past them. "Rabble," Francesco snarled. _What could make a man that scared, _Caterina wondered. Then, she heard the screams. Though she could not see through the fog, she could tell by their screams that men were being butchered ahead.

"Sister, we should go back!" Francesco urged. The screams turned Caterina's cold, and she wavered, but duty kept her going forward. _If I do not act, soon it will be the Pope screaming. _Cocking her pistol, she began to run ahead._ How could things go so wrong? How could they scale our walls so quickly? How could we allow this cloud of dust to disable our only advantage? _She approached the screaming, and soon she found herself watching one of the invaders hacking guardsmen to death, one at a time. The guardsmen were dazed, many of them had already been wounded, but the reanimated soldier made sure to finish his work. It raised it's axe to decapitate one moaning man.

Caterina raised her pistol and fired. The silver bullet from the small-caliber pistol only slightly hurt the reanimated vampire, who, forgetting his cleanup, turned and charged at Caterina immediately. Knowing she would need to hit the vampire many more times, Caterina pointed the gun forward, and pulled the trigger until she was out of ammo. The reanimated vampire stumbled and fell off the wall, landing with a satisfying crunch on the street below. Now out of ammo, Caterina let the pistol fall from her trembling hands. _Just a little farther, _she thought hopefully.

When she opened the door to get through the last tower, she saw the one thing she had been fearing. A dozen vampires were standing still, with their axes raised threateningly at three human defenders. One of them was unmistakably the Pope. As if commanded by a silent order, the vampires rushed forward, throwing all their weight behind slashes and cuts with their axes to dispose of the three. Caterina could only watch in horror. Much to her surprise, however, the vampires fell one after another, cut down by the two of the Pope's valiant defenders. _Who are those men? Their sword strokes seem to be guided by god himself._ They worked together seamlessly, together weaving a mesh of swift strokes that cut down everything in their path.

When only one vampire was left, it raised its axe and seemed as if it would slay one of the men, but a steel blade exited its back. Having been impaled through the heart, the vampire slumped to the ground, dead.

"Who are you?" Caterina asked to the two obscure figures. _They are two skilled to be guardsmen. _The pair walked forward through the dust, until they came into plain view.

"The last members of the Department of Inquisition. We're here to defend the faith," Petros said. His mechanical lance thrummed as it continued to spin, flinging gore from it's many steel blades. Paula walked beside him, holding two double-bladed weapons, dripping with blood.

"Petros... how dare you show your face here," Francesco challenged. _Arrogant to the end. _Petros' eyes flashed in anger, but his expression turned into a mild amusement. Looking away, he turned to the Pope, who was shivering with his back pressed up against the wall.

"Cardinal Caterina and your excellency, come with us! These walls are no longer safe. You need to be evacuated into the city," Petros said. Reinforcing his words, screams sounded just a few towers away.

"What about me?" Francesco questioned, recognizing that Petros hadn't addressed him at all. Paula smiled, and turned to Petros before answering.

"You are able-bodied, and strong. We will defend the Pope and your sister. Perhaps you should stay here and sacrifice your life for your beliefs." She said icily.

"How dare you?" Francesco snarled.

"Strange! You seemed perfectly willing to throw away the department of Inquisition for your own perverted vision of faith." Francesco realized what Petros intended to do, and suddenly widened his eyes.

"You mustn't," Francesco whispered. Another man screamed in the distance as he was cut down by a vampire. "You're obligated to protect me!"

Petros tossed him an axe, which Francesco caught, barely missing the blade. He struggled to lift it upright. "Fight with all the might of God." Petros said, stepping into the tower. He shut the door and locked it, leaving Francesco outside. "He'll need it," Petros muttered.

"Petros, we must get my brother!" Caterina pleaded. _He's bad at times, but he doesn't deserve to be cut into pieces. _But Petros wasn't listening to her. "Petros!" Caterina shouted, trying to get his attention, but Petros was far more interested in Paula, who he was kneeling over.

"You've been cut,"" he whispered, running his hands over a bloody line in the side of her cheek, cut by an enemy axe.

"It's nothing," she replied quickly, but Petros' hand remained there and they looked into each other's eyes. _What is going on between those two? _

- - - -

_(The Davidson mansion in Albion) _

The heart slipped from Abel's hands, which were slick from Cain's blood. Cain's lifeless body lay spread eagle on the ground. _You thought you were untouchable, but look at you now brother. _"Abel," Esther whispered weakly from the other side of the room.

Remembering what had happened to her, Abel got up quickly and rushed to where Esther lay. He had shielded her from most of the debris, but she still had a large gash on her forehead. Looking into her eyes, all the familiar emotions that he had felt before rushed back to him in an instant. He embraced her gently, holding her against him. "Are you okay, Esther?" He asked in concern. She did not reply, but buried her head into his arms. Sighing, he let his hand rest on her shoulder, accidentally brushing the back of her neck with his nails.

Recoiling from this, Esther pushed him away and fell back into the rubble. "Esther, did I do something wrong?" Abel asked, hurt and surprised.

She started to weep, crawling a few more feet away from him. "I'm just so... confused!" She cried out, sobbing. Abel walked forward to try to comfort her, but she backed away farther. "Don't touch me." She shouted tearfully. _What has Cain done to her? _

- - - -

_(Below Londinium in the Ghetto)_

Mary Spencer led the column through the dark hallways of the Ghetto herself. Their response time had been very slow, but the problem was definitely something they had not prepared for. _How could we let someone infiltrate this facility right under our noses? _

As they got approached the terminal, their steps got softer, and more deliberate. The men pointed their guns forward, anticipating a fight. When they reached the door, Mary motioned for them to halt. _He's there, on the other side. _

She tapped her second-in-command on the shoulder and performed a series of hand gestures. Nodding in recognition, the man motioned for part of the squad to follow him, and they advanced to seal off the other exit to the room. As soon as he was in position, she soundlessly motioned for her men to ram down the door. With two successive strikes of the ram, the door broke from its hinges and fell inward.

Mary and her men rushed in, immediately seeing a man in the terminal chair, with his hands on the keyboard. _But wait... the blood... he must be injured. _"Get your hands off that terminal now!" Spencer ordered, ready to fire, but the man said nothing, only staring ahead blankly. In front of him, numbers counted down as the installation prepared to launch. "Remove your hands from the keyboard immediately!" Spencer shouted. Waiting a few more seconds, she pulled the trigger, knocking the man to the ground from a clean shot to the head. She rushed to the keyboard, and eyed the screen frantically. Seeing the countdown drawing near, she frantically hacked away at the keys, attempting to stop the launch, but for some reason, the system wouldn't stop.

"Terminate the launch!" one of the vampires from behind her shouted. They had led her team down to the room.

"I can't, I'm locked out of the system!" Spencer replied angrily. The vampire ran up, and pushed her out of the way. _Arrogant vampires, always thinking that they are better in every way. _He quickly tried all of the commands that she had typed in. "See? What did I tell you?" she shouted, but she quieted down as he began to type in more commands, and access more details of the launch. Soon, he opened a map that showed Europe with many different red dots on it.

"It's pointed at..." He paused, continuing to type. "Madrid."

"Madrid?" Spencer questioned, shocked. _This is a disaster. _

"I'm changing the target. Moving it into the ocean now," but as he said this, the countdown on the screen made a beep, and the map minimized.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked, fearing the worst.

"It's too late. The missile is going to launch in twenty seconds," he whispered, backing away. As he walked backwards, the dead man to his side caught his attention. "Ben? Ben, are you all right?" he asked, shaking him.

"We found him at the terminal just now. We were forced to shoot him." Spencer stated gruffly.

"Impossible! From the looks of him, he's been dead for at least a half-hour," the vampire corrected. "There is a recent shot to the head, but he has multiple wounds in his chest area. Those were the ones to kill him. _There is still another terrorist hiding somewhere in this station, _Spencer realized. _We must find him. _

"Search the whole installation! Work your way out from here!" She ordered. Beginning to lead one of the search teams herself, she felt the rockets on the missile begin to rumble. _I've failed you, my Queen._

- - - -

_(Northern Italy) _

After finally passing through the Alps, Asatroshe's swelling army overcame their last major geographic obstacle. Only the menacing army of reanimated vampires now stood in their way. "Our pace has quickened considerably." Ion observed.

As soon as they had descended into the green fields on the other side of the Alps, they had found great supplies of food at every abandoned town and village. The Contra Mundi army did not take the time to destroy the food. _But why should they? They certainly wouldn't expect any armies to try to attack them from the north after the destruction they wrought upon Germanicus. _This food had filled up the empty stomachs of the soldiers, and brightened their mood. Unlike the passing through the Alps, laughter sounded from the column regularly. _At least until we reach Rome. Then things will get far more serious. _

But this feeling of calm soon passed. Shouts went up along the line, originating from one of the flanking parties that was sent out into the woods to guard the column's sides from ambush. "Ion, organize the men in a defensive perimeter! I'll check out the disturbance." Ion began to shout out orders, organizing the scattered men into lines. Tres didn't need orders. He calmly drew his twin pistols and scanned the surrounding woods with cold eyes.

Astaroshe hurried towards the distant torchlight, rushing through the heavy woods. Ducking beneath tree limbs, and jumping over bushes, she finally saw what the disturbance had been. Much to her surprise, a tall ragged looking man was pointing a large weapon at her scouts, who were trying to calm him down.

"You wont steal anything of mine!" he shouted madly, swinging his weapon around. His other hand carried a torch, probably stolen from one of the scouts.

"We told you we're not bandits!" one scout exclaimed. Astaroshe chuckled, and leaned her spear up against a tree before continuing forward.

"Like I'll believe that! You're just lying now that you've found someone who will fight back against you marauders. You make me sick." Astaroshe walked up behind the man calmly, and stood behind him, waiting for him to notice her presence. He turned around quickly, brandishing his weapon.

"You think you're slick, don't you? Well, I'm not going to let anyone sneak up on me and slit my throat! You better go tie yourself up with your friends!" Astaroshe looked, and laughed out loud when she saw that they had actually been tied together with a long rope. "What's so funny?" the stranger asked.. Astaroshe finally recognized the weapon, it was a bazooka, a large weapon that shot explosive rounds.

"That won't be necessary," Astaroshe said kindly, yet with an edge to her voice. She stepped forward farther, entering the ring of light that the man's torch created. Leon gaped when he caught sight of her.

"What's a beautiful girl like you doing with such ruffians?" he asked, but as she continued to approach, he grew more serious. _How dare he call me a girl. Stupid Terrans. _

"It seems as if you've already detained all the bad men, but please stop pointing that thing at me. I'm already so scared." Astaroshe said, feigning a fake feminine fright. Leon grinned stupidly, and pointed his gun to the ground. _That is all I need. This ought to be fun, _she thought with a malicious grin.

"Well, of course with a beautiful woman li-," he was unable to finish, cut off as Astaroshe's boot smashed into his pelvis with blinding speed. He let out a low moan and fell, squirming in pain. Astaroshe pulled his bazooka from his hands and put it on safety, tossing it to the side. _A man armed with such heavy weaponry must be an agent of the Vatican, _she thought.

When she turned to begin questioning him, she was startled to see that a young girl had put herself between Astaroshe and the moaning man. Her childish eyes blazed with energy. Two adults, who appeared to be the girl's parents rushed out after her. "Sarah, I told you to hide with your parents." The man mumbled.

"You can't hurt Leon! He's a good man! Please, leave us alone," the little girl pleaded. _She's brave, I'll give her that. _

"You don't need to worry, little one. Leon just made a mistake. We're both on the same side." Astaroshe assured. Content, the little girl stepped aside and into the arms of her anxious parents. "So... Leon. What mission has the Vatican sent you on that would take you so far into enemy territory?" _Who is this oaf of a man? Perhaps he can help us. _


	16. Chapter 5: Section 1

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 5: The Death of Illusion **

**Section 1: Unforseen Consequences**

Note: The importance of the storyline in the Vatican is growing. Forgive me if it monopolizes a good part of this chapter.

_(In the Main palace at the Vatican) _

The Pope shivered silently, crouched behind Petros and Paula. They had been in the palace for near an hour, and each passing minute, the streets outside sounded calmer and calmer._ Have we been overrun, or have we cleared them?_ "Sister," the Pope muttered, the first word that he had spoken since Caterina had found him. "Are we going to die?" he asked weakly.

"Not today," Caterina replied, eyeing Petros. He nodded, turning to the young pope.

"I wont let them touch you, your excellency." Petros announced with his usual bravado.

"The same goes for the Cardinal as well." Paula interjected.

Caterina continued to watch closely. Petros gave Paula a warm smile, and shared a gaze for a few seconds before turning away again. _Could they possibly be... lovers? _Caterina wondered, observing the two of them intently. _He has definitely grown far more comfortable with her than I remember._

Petros heard someone approaching, and approached the door swiftly, with his lance in hand. "Who goes there?" Petros questioned, activating the spinning blades. Paula stood behind him, closer to the Pope, and watched the windows carefully.

"I have a message from the Cardinal Francesco to Cardinal Caterina ," the man on the other side of the door shouted back. "Is she here?"

"Yes," Caterina responded, walking forward. "Please open the door, Petros. I would prefer if I could hear this message clearly." Petros deactivated his lance, and shouldered it, opening the door with his free hand and stepping aside. The messenger walked in a few steps, looking to both sides.

"That's enough waiting already. Out with it," Caterina ordered sternly, folding her arms across her chest. _So Francesco is still alive. _The part of her that was Francesco's sister was relieved, but the part of her that was Francesco's political rival in the Vatican felt a twinge of regret.

The messenger cleared his throat, and began, "he has sent me to report to you that he has cleared the walls, and that the city has been saved. He also invites you and the Pope to join him on the ramparts as soon as you can."

"Francesco cleared the walls?" Petros scoffed. "His talent with a battle axe must have improved dramatically after we left." _No doubt he was rescued by city guardsmen, or an army unit, and then claimed responsibility for the victory himself. _Caterina wasn't surprised. She knew too well the nature of her brother.

"Let's go then," she announced. "Your excellency, we've won the battle. We need to go to the site of our victory now."

"Really?" he asked happily. "That's wonderful." He hurried to Caterina's side. Petros and Paula led the way, opening the door wide, and almost knocking the messenger over as they strode unflinchingly forward.

- - - -

_(The Davidson mansion in Albion) _

Abel heard the missile as it launched just a few blocks south of where he stood. _You've done it, Cain. _Contra mundi had successfully fired their nuke, but whatever happened, Abel could not let it hit its target. Forgetting Cain and Esther, he jumped from the window and flew into the air. He saw the missile already speeding away from him. Beating his wings as hard as his body allowed, he trailed it, but saw that he was not going fast enough.

In frustration, he shot three large bolts of electricity at it, but they all missed by a wide margin, and the nuke sped away, out of Abel's range. Abel roared in frustration, keeping himself steady in the air and watching the nuke fly into the distance until it disappeared over the horizon. Defeated, he descended down towards the mansion.

When he entered the room again, Esther was up against the wall, whimpering. "What is it?" Abel asked, rushing towards her.

"Your brother! He just left!" Esther shouted.

"What?" Abel could not believe what she said, and his eyes shot to where he had left Cain's body. The body was gone, and when Abel looked for the heart, he realized it was gone as well. Fuming, Abel rushed down the stairs, hoping to find his brother.

- - - -

_(In the streets of Rome)_

The streets they passed on the way were mostly untouched, except for the few small houses that had caught fire, and most of those had been extinguished before any dramatic damage had been done. Seeing a dead Contra Mundi vampire on the side of the road, the Pope clung to Petros. "No need to worry, your excellency. The battle is over." Paula said softly, kneeling down to Alessandro's height and giving him a wink. Alessandro calmed down a bit after that, but still eyed the dead corpse suspiciously as they passed by.

As they approached, Caterina began to hear celebratory shouts and chants coming from the walls that, just an hour ago, had been completely overrun. Getting closer, she could finally discern what they were chanting. "Francesco! Francesco! Francesco! Francesco!" they chanted, cheering wildly. _Oh no, _Caterina thought. _What will he do when he sees us? _

"I don't like this, Cardinal. We should turn back," Petros grumbled.

Remembering what Petros had done to Francesco, Caterina replied, "If you wish to go back, then I certainly won't think any less of you, brother Petros, but I will not hide from my brother today." Petros stiffened. _He thinks that I accused him of wishing to hide from my brother. I should have worded it differently. _

"I shall accompany you," he said simply. Paula said nothing.

They wedged their way through the crowd, led by Petros, who simply pushed aside anyone who stood in their way. Paula moved them aside more gracefully, and behind the two of them, Caterina and the Pope walked forward without obstruction. The crowd simply ignored Caterina. _For the moment, they all love my brother. _She caught a glimpse of him through the sea of waving arms, to see Francesco smiling broadly, yet an unfamiliar darkness lingered on his expression. _Ambition? _

When they got to the tower that would lead them to the top of the wall, a single guard stood at attention. When Caterina approached, he spoke immediately as if he had been waiting for her to arrive. Unlatching the door, he stood aside and bowed slightly. Narrowing his eyes, Petros seemed suspicious of the man, but he led the way into the tower. Caterina and the Pope followed closely, but something felt wrong. When they had all entered, the guard shut the door behind them, and latched it from the outside. Caterina glanced back, feeling trapped, but she regained her resolve. "Let's continue," she said, despite the fact that the only one who had stopped moving was her.

- - - -

_(North of Rome) _

Dietrich could not be more surprised. _Five thousand reanimated soldiers killed? Impossible! _He had considered many possibilities for the result of the invasion of Rome, but even he had not thought this one was possible. In the beginning, everything was going well. His men poured over the walls, and quickly began to destroy all resistance, but for some reason, the defenders kept on coming. _Persistent little ants._

"Sir, what should I tell the council?" the messenger asked, bowing to the ground. _This one has survived longer than the others. He knows not to ever disrespect me when I'm in one of my murderous rages. _Despite the messenger's careful bow, Dietrich slapped him on the head harshly, knocking him to the ground.

"Do not rush me!" Dietrich ordered. Smart as always, the messenger said nothing, and stayed on the ground. Dietrich considered what he would tell the messenger silently. "Tell them that I've tested Rome's defenses and they are holding steady. I will finish them tomorrow with the rest of our army." _I should have split my army! I should have simply taken Venice and then moved on Rome, but no, I had to take them both at once! _

He had dispatched five-thousand of the soldiers to Venice, and they easily burned it to the ground, and he only left five-thousand to take Rome, and they had failed. _Only barely. They're out of artillery rounds, and my puppets have destroyed most of their positions. They will be easy to destroy tomorrow. _

He walked over the hill, beginning the journey to reunite himself with the rest of his puppets. _Perhaps the Vatican will send some AX agents after me. I always like toying with Esther. She will be surprised to see me alive, after my second elaborate fake-death in the Ghetto. _He had talked with Cain before the attack, and despite Cain's distaste for him, Cain had agreed to play a part in Dietrich's elaborate plan. _They are all my pets. Even him. _

- - - -

They walked up the circular steps until they reached the command room where Caterina and Francesco had been at the start of the battle, roomy with its lofty ceilings and open space. Francesco entered a few seconds after they did, followed through the door by an entourage of twelve men. The sounds of jubilant shouting came in with him, let in by the open door, but it was muffled as he shut it again. "Ah Sister!" Francesco began, walking forward with a bright smile, "you've come just in time to see the end of my victory celebration!"

"Your victory?" Caterina questioned. "There were certainly many other men fighting on these walls than you, brother."

Hearing this, Francesco began to laugh, and the men that accompanied him began to laugh as well. "You sound jealous! You missed the real battle when you were cowering in the Palace," he paused, looking to his companions. "How rude of me. I forgot to introduce you to my new friends. They helped me on the walls, and I'm seeing to it that they are all promoted to high ranking officers in the new Papal army!"

"The new Papal army?" Caterina questioned. "What happened to the old one?" She eyed the soldiers standing with Francesco with distaste. _Ruffians and enforcers. _The whole group had a criminal look to them.

"Wasn't nearly effective enough, and the power structure was very... uncompromising. Fortunately, most of the commanders lost their lives." The broad shouldered officer to Francesco's right laughed out loud at this. _Fortunately?_ As soon as he finished speaking, the door behind Caterina opened, and another twenty men rushed in, armed with rifles. Eight more came in from behind Francesco, supplementing his existing guard contingent to forty men.

"What is the meaning of this treachery?" Petros demanded, activating his mechanical lance. The men around them cocked their weapons and aimed, ready to fire.

"Stand down Petros, unless you want to add the murder of Cardinal Caterina and the Pope to your list of crimes!" Francesco shouted coldly. Petros laughed.

"What crimes?" He questioned.

"Conspiracy to kill an official of the Vatican, desertion, and treason," Francesco smiled before continuing "Brother Petros and Sister Paula, I am putting you under arrest. Submit calmly, or you will be killed." Petros snarled at Francesco, his eyes gleaming with hatred.

"Please brother... don't!" Alessandro pleaded. Hearing the Pope's voice, Petros turned around. He saw the young boy cowering in the corner, sobbing. Petros' eyes widened, and he deactivated his lance, dropping it to the ground.

"No..." Caterina whispered. _It doesn't matter what happens, Francesco will kill us all. _

"Drop it Paula. We have a duty to keep the Pope from danger, and if that includes submitting ourselves to this man, then that is what we must do." Paula sighed, and dropped her blades to the ground as well.

"Arrest them," Francesco ordered. The men rushed towards Petros and Paula, who stood with their arms raised. The lead man rammed Petros in the gut with the butt of his rifle, causing him to double over in pain. One of his ribs audibly cracked. Paula ducked down from a swing directed at her forehead, and smashed her fist into the man's windpipe, but multiple others surrounded her and beat her to the ground.

"No..." Caterina whispered tearfully. Another guard delivered a harsh kick to Petros' side as the others tied him up. Francesco walked up to her, flanked by the broad-shouldered man that she had seen before.

Petros turned onto his side, clutching his broken rib. "When you die, you're going to the deepest pit of hell," he snarled. "and I'm going to send you there myself!" He was answered by another kick in the ribs, making him gasp in pain.

"I'll never forgive you brother." She muttered to the ground.

"No, you won't." Francesco answered. She stared up at him defiantly, but felt a sharp pain as she was pistol-whipped in the back of the head by one of Francesco's men.

- - - -

_(In Paese, north of Venice)_

"Where is some food!" Leon shouted, tearing through the cabinets of the house they had decided to use for the day.

"Calm down, terran. You're wreaking the house!" Ion shouted.

"I'd like to see you calm down after you haven't eaten a square meal for two days!" Astaroshe watched with mild amusement, but her mood was dangerously close to changing into anger.

"Stop it both of you," she commanded. Sighing, Leon continued to rummage through the cabinets.

"Oh! Potatoes!" Leon exclaimed, salivating visibly over the large pile of plump potatoes he had uncovered. Taking a few out, he placed them on the table and sat back. "Well?" Leon said, motioning to them.

"What? Do you expect me to cook them for you?" Astaroshe asked. "I'm the commander of this army, not your maid."

"Well, I can't cook," Leon said defensively. Seething, Astaroshe picked them up with an old knife and began to peel them. Leon smiled victoriously, and rested against the counter.

"If you don't peel more than half of these, you're not getting any!" Astaroshe shouted, breaking his relaxation. Leon got up, somewhat surprised. Astaroshe began to peel them faster, and laughed. "You better hurry up! I swear, if you don't peel half, your not getting a single bite!" Shaking his head, Leon picked up another knife and began to help.

They had started boiling the potatoes, when Leon spoke up again, "You know, for a woman as beautiful as you are, you-"

"You can stop right there," Astaroshe hissed.

"Wow there! I'm sorry if you're already involved."

"I..." Astaroshe paused, frowning sadly. "Just leave me alone."

"So he hasn't realized how you feel yet?" Leon asked, interested.

"He..." She trailed off. Hanging her head for a few seconds, Astaroshe raised it again, furious. "I don't need advice on the matter, especially from the likes of you!"

"It's that bad, is it?" Leon concluded. Baring her teeth, Astaroshe slapped Leon across the face, leaving a red print on his cheek.

Leon clutched his injured face, and straightened himself out again. "Whoever he is, you must really love him. God knows why..." _Why do I love Abel so much? _Astaroshe wondered, walking into the other room. _I just want to be alone. Why do I need him? _

- - - -


	17. Chapter 5: Section 2

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 5: The Death of Illusion**

**Section 2: From the Night**

Note: I noticed that the reviews basically dropped off! That isn't any fun! Input makes a story great, so everyone bash and smash!

Note: I don't really understand why you gals find Dietrich so attractive. He looks like a little weasel.

Note: What can I say? Francesco is a pragmatist **:D **

_(In an underground complex in the city of Byzantium) _

Endre squirmed against his restraints, his pale face contorted in an expression of irritation. _I can only imagine, we've had him locked against that chair for days. _His condition was worsened by the fact that they had been force feeding him small amounts of gruel, and that he had not been allowed to speak once. _He must be going insane, _Seth thought.

"Empress, there are a number of people wishing to speak with you," her assistant said. _I have been acting strange lately. I usually see people on a daily basis, but for the last week I have locked myself up down here. I only hope that the Empire has been running itself in my absence. _

"I know. Unfortunately, I am too busy now to speak with any of them," Seth responded. Despite her sense of duty to the New Human Empire, Seth had not returned to the surface in a while. Endre tried to move himself again, possibly trying to itch his back, but after a few fruitless tries, he collapsed in defeat. _The research is too important for me to abandon now, _she rationalized.

She looked around the bleak room that she had been waiting in for days for results to a test that she was starting to believe would never be completed. _Who am I fooling. I should be preforming my duties as the Empress. The Empire needs me. _But Seth could not will herself to go to the surface and return to the Palace.

She contemplated her situation for a while longer. _I can't bring myself to go up now. Perhaps, I am still mourning. _Hearing a dull thud against the wall, Seth's head shot to attention. "What was that?" she questioned. Her assistant appeared confused, and then the thud repeated itself. He turned his head, and then cocked his head to the side, as if to hear it more clearly.

"I'm not sure," he answered with a frown. Curious, Seth pulled herself out from the little bench that she had been sitting in, and made her way to the door. _The guards should have this complex secured. _

Opening the hatch, Seth saw what was going on. Her guards were at a standoff with a rough looking man with a long spear. His hair fell down over his light green eyes giving him a wild look. "I'm here to talk to the empress," the man growled impatiently. _How has he made it this far?_ Seth decided not to interfere, and leaned against the wall. _My guards have not noticed my presence yet, _she realized. One of her guards lifted himself off of the ground, cradling his bruised side. _So that was the thump. _

One of her guards laughed arrogantly, stepping forward. The strange man held his ground, clutching his spear with a loose grip at the ready. "She's not seeing any visitors right now," the lead guard announced, pulling out a blunt baton. "Especially not a visitor like you." A few of the guards laughed. The strange man chuckled as well, brushing the hair from his eyes.

"Well. I'm gonna see her one way or another," he said, sighing as he raised his spear to an overhead position. _This should be interesting._

"You've been warned!" the lead man called out as he charged, baton at the ready. The intruder thrusted down with the butt end of his spear, and as the guard angled his baton down to block the low attack, he kicked the spear back up again, smacking the unsuspecting guard in the jaw. He fell to the ground with a yell of pain. Pulling himself up to his feet, he threw his baton to the ground in anger. The stranger laughed softly and smiled, leaning on his spear.

"Can I please see her for just a moment? I promise I wont be long," He said again.

"You insolent dog," the guard said, this time pulling out a blade. The other guards followed suite. He continued, "if the empress doesn't want to be seen. She wont be seen, and that's the end of it. Do you have any respect for your ruler?"

"Yeah. That's why I want to see her so much," the man replied lazily.

"It's unfortunate that you chose to show your respect in such a idiotic way," the guard said harshly, taking a double handed attack stance "In the whole of the New Human Empire, I cannot be matched with the double handed sword." The stranger blinked his green eyes, and when he opened them they had lost their sparkle and were narrowed to small intense slits. He pulled up his spear again, and took a side-stance, holding the deadly tip forward.

"I would have settled for a little relayed message from the Empress, or perhaps word from her that she didn't want to see me, but-," he paused, clearing his throat. "Now, I just want to beat your arrogant little face bloody."

"That's enough," Seth interrupted.

"But he-," the guard protested, turning. Seth gave him a cold look, which caused him to stop mid-sentence. "Yes, of course." The stranger laughed carelessly, and with one smooth motions of his hand, he collapsed his spear into a small rod no longer than three feet, which he slid into a leather pouch along his thigh.

Walking up to Seth, he kneeled down, smiling warmly. Seth smiled back, playing the part of the carefree tea-seller yet again. "And just who are you, little miss?" he asked with a laugh, patting her on the head. Her lead guard's face reddened with frustration. _If Baybars were here, he'd explode, _Seth thought with a smile.

"I'm the assistant to the Empress," Seth lied innocently. "Follow me, she's eager to have a chat with you." Seth turned around, opening the door. _I wonder what this ruffian wants. _

- - - -

_(In the column marching south of Venice) _

"So you're a delegate from the New Human Empire?" Leon asked incredulously. "What are you doing in occupied territory, honey?" _Insolent terran. _Astaroshe struck him again, sending him reeling to the ground. "Jesus Christ, what's your problem?" Leon shouted. His face was red from all the points that she had slapped him.

"If you keep treating me with such disrespect, then I will continue to hit you," Astaroshe said coldly. "You will address me as Astaroshe Asran. If you do not do that, I suggest you refrain from speaking altogether."

"I'm just trying to make conversation! Marching all night can be boring, I'll have you know!" Leon said.

"Why are you so mean to Leon?" The little girl said. This surprised Astaroshe, who did not see the little girl approach.

"Because Leon has forgotten his manners, and I'm helping him remember," Astaroshe replied quickly. Something was very disarming about the little girl that calmed Asta down.

"So you don't hit anyone else when they don't call you by your right name?" Leon asked.

"You know better, Leon," the little girl interjected before Asran had opened her mouth. Leon was about to say something, when the little girl slapped him across the face. "Shame on you, Leon."

The force of the slap was very small, but Leon pretended that he had been seriously hurt. "Oh, you got me!" he cried out. Astaroshe began to laugh, seeing Leon roll on the ground in fake-pain. Leon pulled himself to his feet, and exchanged a quick glance with Asta. Her smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.

She heard someone running, and she looked away to see who it was. Ion ran towards her, huffing from the exertion. "Our scouts have spotted the enemy mass. They are heading south to finish off Rome. If we move quickly, we could overtake them!"

"How many?" Astaroshe questioned.

"At least four-thousand," he replied. _Our army is large, but we couldn't possibly beat a reanimated force of that size, unless... _

"I have a plan," she said.

- - - -

_(In the royal palace of Albion) _

Esther picked through the dinner in front of her, reaching to each piece of food cautiously, even though she craved the dinner so much. She softly scooped up a small piece of lettuce from the side. "Abel," she paused, waiting for him to acknowledge her.

He didn't answer at first. His fork stood poised over his dinner, which was just as it was when it was put in front of him, except for one small piece of chicken that he had eaten immediately. He refrained from eating another piece of chicken, as if he was afraid of harming yet another one. _Or is he afraid that he will not enjoy the next piece as much as he did the first? _Esther wondered, nibbling on the small piece of lettuce as she waited. Abel finally raised his head, dragging his fork along the surface of another piece. "Yes?" he replied.

"Can you stay for a while? I'd like it if you stayed with me for a few weeks before you left." Esther took another small bite of the lettuce on her fork. They were completely alone at Esther's request, and she had caught Abel just in time to invite him to one last dinner before he would set out to the countryside. _He is so obsessed with hunting down his brother. _

Abel raised his fork from the chicken before replying, "I can't waste any time here." _Waste... _Esther dropped her eyes to the table.

"I guess I won't waste any time with you either, Abel!" Esther replied angrily, raising her eyes to him. Abel rose from the table, walking towards the door. "It's just like Cain said, isn't it!" Esther shouted. He stopped in mid-stride, and turned around again.

"Cain?" Abel asked, fuming. Esther got up from her chair, and walked towards him.

"Yes, Cain! When he captured me, he told me everything about you, Abel! And he was right! Nothing matters to you. All you care about is going after your brother for revenge. Revenge for a woman that died centuries ago!" She shouted.

"Yes!" Abel answered.

"What about the people around you now, Abel?" Esther asked, walking closer to him. "Don't they matter to you at all?" Her feet wouldn't follow the directives of her brain, and they continued towards him. _What am I doing? It was just a silly infatuation. _Her feet kept creeping forward, step after step. She closed her eyes, feeling the ache in the pit of her stomach. _If it was a silly infatuation, why did I see his face in my dreams? Why do I yearn for him... ache for him._

She opened her eyes, and saw that she was face to face with him. _It's too late now, _she thought. Abel's mouth opened, about to say something, but she raised her finger and placed it over his lips, silencing him. "Just one thing, before you decide... before you say what I'm dreading you will say," she whispered weakly. Her heart was on fire, burning out from her chest. It pounded against her skin, threatening to explode. Her head swam with emotions, each more confusing than the last. His lips trembled, shaking against her finger. "Smile for me Abel... smile like you did before all of this started happening. When you were happy."

Abel said nothing, and stood shocked. He grasped her hand by the wrist, not roughly, but gently, and directed it down to her side. Doing this, he leaned in close, brushing the front of his coat up against her blouse. Esther's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes opened wide. Her breathing starting quickening so fast that she decided to hold her breath. Her hand fell limply to her side. "Abel," She finally gasped breathlessly "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." She turned her head away in shame, but she was stopped by his hand, which fell softly on the side of her face, and directed her gaze forward again. She looked up and saw his face. It was much warmer than just moments ago, and he looked as if he finally understood something that had been bugging him for a long time. He leaned forward a few more inches.

Esther finally released her emotions, that had been penned up inside her for so long, and she kissed him. Reaching her arms around the back of his neck, she rubbed them along his skin as her tongue danced with his. Her warm skin pushed up against his coat as she pressed herself against him so hard that she felt like she would melt into him. A deep sense of relief and joy washed over her as the kiss deepened and Abel began to return some of the fire that she had given him.

Needing air, she pulled away reluctantly from him and buried her head into his inviting shoulders, with her arms wrapped around him. _I will never let you go, _she thought. "Are you going to leave me, Abel?" she asked. She felt his hand clutch her head to him.

"I... I need to do this, Esther," Abel answered weakly.

"Then do it!" Esther hissed, pushing him away "But don't expect to find me waiting here for you when you come back." Having said this, she stormed out of the room with tears streaming down her cheeks. _How can I hate him when I love him so much? _

- - - -

_(Cardinal Assembly in the Vatican) _

"I know that it is strange that this assembly meet now, even though we still have a Pope, but in this dire time, we could not wait for the Pope's health to improve. Forces are aligned against our great city that would bring god's kingdom to ruin!" Francesco announced to the chamber of somber looking Cardinals. Many of them were aged and dry, but if he would get what he wanted, he would need to get it from them.

"What is the condition of the Pope?" one Cardinal asked.

"He is gravely ill, and we fear he may die," Francesco answered. "We have relocated him to a secret location where he will be tended by the best doctors, and by the will of god, hopefully he will heal."

"Who will lead the Vatican?" another Cardinal called out. _Ah yes, Cardinal Julius, my pet. _Francesco could not keep himself from smiling before he replied.

"As policy dictates, this council will lead the Vatican, and if the Pope's condition worsens, we may need to elect a new Pope," Francesco replied.

"Armies ravage the north! We are an occupied territory! We cannot wait for the Pope's health to improve!" another Cardinal thundered. _Cardinal William, another pet. _

"What are you suggesting?" Francesco asked, pretending that he did not already know.

"We must elect a interim Pope that will lead this nation as long as is necessary to protect our country!" he responded.

"That's ridiculous!" Francesco shouted out. "There can only be one Pope!"

"But this is an unprecedented situation. We must take unprecedented steps to deal with it! You must take command of the Vatican to protect us as long as it may be required!" Hearing this, the assembly began to buzz with conversation. Cardinals turned to one another speaking in hushed tones.

"I... I couldn't possibly do that," Francesco said, turning to leave the assembly.

"Wait!" an elderly Cardinal called out from the front. _Ah, and this one is not my pet. We shall see if my plans will finally pay off. _"What Cardinal William has said is true! We do need a leader. At least until the other Pope gets well. There are still armies in the north!" The assembly roared in approval, some stood up and called out Francesco's name.

"Save us again, defender of Rome!" One of Francesco's men shouted. Francesco raised his hand, and the hall grew silent. _They're eating out of my hand. _

"I...," he paused again, burying his head in his hands in mock thought. He lifted his head from his hands and continued to speak, "I once swore to serve the Vatican, and that does mean to ensure its continuing survival, yet, I never dreamed that this meant that I would... become the Pope. I never lusted after such a position, but I can see... in a situation such as this, it is necessary, in order to serve the Vatican that I have sworn to protect, to take powers that may even scare myself. If you all think that I am the one to do this job, then I could not call myself a servant of god if I were to refuse you."

As soon as he finished, the chamber erupted with applause. Francesco stood upon the podium, and raised his arms, feeling the swell of noise around him. _I have finally won! _

- - - -

_(In the deepest dungeon of the Vatican) _

They had put Cardinal Caterina and the Pope in the same dark cell, but besides locking the door, they took no other precautions. A group of six guards stood guard over them. _Francesco's thugs. _

"Do you know who I am?" Caterina demanded raggedly. She had not slept in over a day.

"Yes Cardinal, I do!" One of the guards replied laughing.

"Do you know who this is with me? Do you know what you're doing?" She shouted questioningly.

"Yes, that's the ex-Pope in there with you," one guard interjected.

"Ex?" Alessandro whispered weakly. A guard opened the hatch to the lower dungeon, and the sound of cheering washed into the hallway.

"Habemus Papam!" The guards shouted. Something stirred in the dark cell next to them, catching Caterina's attention.

- - - -


	18. Chapter 5: Section 3

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 5: The Death of Illusion**

**Section 3: Realization**

Note: I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Everyone loves Abel!

Note: He kissed her, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the deal is closed. There's still plenty of room for competition.

_(In the deepest dungeon of the Vatican) _

After many hours, the guards had eventually began to play cards at the end of the hall, growing tired of their normal duties. Alessandro had not taken the news of Francesco's election well, and spent most of the time in the corner crying. "I'm scared. Are they going to hurt us?" he whimpered, opening his wide tearful eyes. _There is no use lying to the poor boy at this point, _Caterina reasoned.

"Yes, I'm sure they will," she replied darkly. The damp walls of the cell had already started soaking through into her elaborate robes. _How could I have let this happen? _AX had been scattered throughout Europe when the reanimated army had arrived outside the walls of Rome. She expected them to come quickly, but they exceeded even her wildest expectations. _AX had no time to rally to the city's defense, but they wouldn't just be able to protect the city, but also protect the Pope and I. Alessandro was getting his own free will, and breaking from Francesco's domination, and Francesco recognized this. How could I leave us so defenseless just as his influence began to diminish, and in such a time of tumult? I should have known that this would be the time when he was most desperate to seize power! But still, I never expected that he would go to such lengths... _

Alessandro began to cry again, but not the loud shrill kind of crying that one would expect of a child, but a weak, pathetic crying. He whimpered and sniffled, burying himself against Caterina's already soaked robes. _How many tears does this boy have? _"I don't want to die..." he mumbled.

"You may have been permitted to be a weakling while you were in power," Caterina snapped, earning a gasp of surprise from the ex-Pope, "but we cannot afford to have you be that weakling now! If you have ever had any strength in that frail mind of your's, summon it now and compose yourself!" The Pope looked up, with the last tear slipping down his cheek, shocked out of his despair. Wiping this tear away, he nodded solemnly.

Regaining his composure, the young Pope looked up over Caterina's shoulder. _Perhaps I was too harsh on him. He is just a boy, forced to become a Pope as a political compromise._ Caterina removed her hand from her side and slipped it around the boy's shoulder, holding his trembling body. _In my constant war with Francesco, I never once realized how much of a strain this must be on Alessandro. If I make it from here alive, I will give Alessandro the support and appreciation he deserves. _"Sister..." Alessandro said, surprisingly calmer than he was before.

"Yes?" Caterina questioned softly, not wanting to get the attention of the guards.

"Look!" Alessandro insisted in a hushed tone, pointing over her shoulder. Caterina turned around and saw what had caught the young boy's attention. A black outline of a man painted the cell next to them, where no light seemed to penetrate. One dirty and shriveled hand was reaching from this darkness into their cell. It's fingers contracted and reached out over and over again, beckoning them silently to approach. _Just what has been locked up down here besides us? Whatever it is, if it gives us a chance to escape, we must try to take that chance. _Caterina checked the guards to make sure that they were notwatching, and then began to slowly crawl closer.

- - - -

_(In the complex underneath the city of Byzantium) _

"What is taking her so long?" the stranger asked impatiently, twirling his collapsed spear in his hands absent mindedly.

"Where did you learn to fight with that?" Seth questioned. _Who is this man? He is Methuselah, but I have not seen him in the Palace once. Even so, he does remind me of someone... _

"This?" he asked carelessly. He held it, and with one motion of his hands, it sprang to its full ten-foot length. "My father wished to pass down to me an ancient greatsword, but I never liked swords." He twirled the spear in his hands effortlessly, rolling it around his shoulders and around his head in fluid motions, and it began to spin so fast that Seth couldn't keep her eyes on both sides at the same time. "Ha, the spear has fooled your eyes, don't you see? That is why I did not accept the greatsword my father wished to pass down to me. It was too heavy and predictable!"

"That's very impressive, but you still haven't told me _where _you learned this technique," Seth pressed. The man smiled wryly and nodded.

"You're a sharp one. That must be why the Empress keeps you around," he said with a laugh.

"Are you implying she wouldn't keep me around otherwise?" Seth questioned, matching his smile.

"Don't tell anyone I said this, but I heard that she was really self-important and really arrogant!" He whispered, kneeling in close.

"That's what you heard, is it? Seth asked, giggling. "I agree with you, she can be a real bitch!" The stranger roared with laughter, and would have doubled over if he did not support himself with his spear.

Now that she had disarmed his cold demeanor, Seth asked him what she had been wondering all along, "who are you?" The stranger stopped laughing at once, and thought calmly for a few seconds before replying. _Something about his identity that he does not embrace. _

"I am..." he cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing. _Is he uncomfortable about his name? _"I am Markizan Henarios," he finally said. _Henarios? I've heard that name before! _"I insist that you call me Zan though."

"Where are you from, Zan?" Seth questioned, still searching her mind for her source of recognition of his name.

"I am the lord of the island of Kythira. My father just passed away, and I am seeking out the Empress to ask her but one question." _Kythira? _Seth's mind raced, trying to think about where Kythira was. _The island! It's a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean! Only one major vampire family has dominion over such a little amount of territory! _Suddenly all of her memories came rushing back. _Henarios! I remember now! The family that was banished from the Empire's elite! _Seth was curious as to what brought this lord of a shamed house to Byzantium.

"What is your question?" Seth asked.

Zan sighed, scratching his head with one hand. "There isn't much of a chance of me speaking with the Empress, is there?"

"No, she's extremely busy, but you can talk to me," Seth answered sweetly, giving him a wink.

"Fine then," he muttered relaxing against the wall. "I'm looking for a woman. Astaroshe Asran," he smiled dreamily, trailing small circles on the grip of his spear.

"Why?" Seth asked.

"Because that bitch owes me a fight!" he shouted, swirling his spear against the wall of the room. On impact, the wall that he struck shattered, raining rubble down onto the floor. A large hole was all that was left when he set his spear back to his side. Seth raised her eyebrows. _He's still smiling. What the hell happened between those two? _"She called me out recently, and I intend on settling the score." Seth smiled mischievously.

"You will not be able to see the Empress, but I can tell you where Astaroshe is."

- - - -

_(Inside the Palace at the Vatican)_

Francesco laughed along with the other Cardinals, after hearing another one of their half-witted jokes. _Once they ignored me, and talked down to me, but now they curry favor with me at every opportunity. These are miserable old men, and if they cross me, I shall kill them. _"May you continue to ensure the prosperity of the Vatican!" one of the Cardinals called out, raising his glass. Francesco smiled appreciatively.

"Francesco! I must speak with you!" an unwelcome voice called from behind him. Francesco turned, and saw one of his top enforcers. _What is he doing here? I told him to stay out of sight!_

"Excuse me gentlemen," Francesco said quickly, rising from the table. The Cardinals began to jabber away again, talking about their pathetic lives with one another. Francesco walked to the other side of the room, and turned on his enforcer with malice. "How dare you interrupt me now, Private Christianson!" he snarled.

"I thought we agreed it was going to be Colonel from now on?" he answered. _Stupid enforcers, they always think they can force my hand. _

"I just wanted to remind you just how easily it would be for me to bust you down to private yet again, or have you removed from the army altogether!" Francesco snapped.

"And I would like to remind you just how easy it would be for me to reveal just what you've been up to for the last few days," Christianson threatened. _Insolent pawn. He should learn his place! When I'm done with the Pope and my dear sister, he can kiss his position and his very life goodbye. _

"Enough idle chatter! How are things going with the preparations?" Francesco questioned.

"The Cardinal and the Pope are secure, and being looked after by a few of our most loyal men," Christianson said dismissively.

"And the virus?"

"It has been obtained and we are bringing it to the dungeon now." _Soon, it will be too late. No matter what happens after I have completed this, Alessandro and Caterina will be outcasts from this church forever. _

"Very good," Francesco said, looking to both sides before continuing. "If any agents of AX appear here, I want them to be detained and put to death. As soon as you kill the first one, declare them a separatist terrorist organization."_Your base of power has been completely destroyed, sister. I pity you, just as you pitied me when I was at my lowest point. Perhaps I will visit you as you visited me to witness the full extent of my victory. _

"Yes, sir!" The man said, walking away briskly.

"Everyone!" Francesco announced, causing the entire hall to focus their attention on him. "We have no time to lose! We must assemble the army!"

- - - -

_(In a Town south of Venice) _

_Astaroshe walked upon the soft grass, feeling the many little needles caressing her foot with each step. It was daytime, and the radiant sun lit up the entire landscape, but she was not afraid. She jumped up into the air, flying for a moment in the warmth of the sun before she fell to the soft earth. The grass beneath her was very warm, having absorbed the heat of the sun for many hours. It embraced her. _

_Someone was approaching, but she could not tell who it was. "Asta!" she heard. It was an urgent voice, but she did not know where it was coming from. The silhouette knelt down over her, smiling. It was Abel, smiling as she saw him smile before, with his warm eyes sparkling in the sun. "Asta!" the voice called out again, but this time it did not matter. Abel was here. _

_His face moved closer to her's, and soon they were close to touching, yet he did not stop. "Asta!" This time she did not even recognize the voice. It did not even register in her mind. Abel's lips were close... so close. _

"Wake up!" This time, Asta lurched up, but the light was gone, and to her dismay, so was Abel. The top of her head stung, and she realized that someone had slapped her on the head to wake her up. _A dream... it was just a dream. _

She looked around groggily, and saw Leon standing next to the bed, with a stupid smile on his face. She socked him in the face with her fist before getting out of bed. "Why did you hit me?" Leon cried out.

"I was having a good dream," Astaroshe growled. _But it's over now. Why am I such a silly child when it comes to him? _

"Well, I'm really sorry about that, but the sun just set. We better get going if we want to make it to Rome in time."

_- - - -_

_(The royal Palace in Albion) _

They had replaced her guard contingent againpicking the best and brightest from the army. _And this time, we made sure they were also the most loyal. _She did not want a repeat of what happened with her last group of guards. _I would have been killed, but Abel... _He had protected her, shielded her from the falling debris with his own wings. _Even so, he has left me in search of vengeance. It was wrong of me to think that he ever really cared for me._

"We have a problem, your grace," her servant told her. _New day, new servant. _"There was a murder. One of the vampire scientists was found dead in the streets just a few hours ago. The vampires are demanding that they be allowed to leave the country immediately." Esther kneaded her forehead, feeling the onset of another headache.

"We have already established a deal with them. If they don't feel safe in the streets, they are free to go back to the Ghetto, where they belong!" she muttered into the table.

"As you wish, your excellency," The servant said, bowing, but as he was leaving the room, Esther stopped him.

"Wait!" _What was I thinking? I pledged to myself that I would be fair to these scientists. _"Tell them that if they feel unsafe, we can have them accompanied by military escorts until the problem is resolved." _Ever since Erin was committed to the hospital, everything has been falling apart, even his brilliant plan to replace the vampires as the suppliers of the lost technology. _That had not been the only thing on Esther's plate. _One of our nukes also hit the northwest of Hispania. As far as I know, they're sending up an army as we speak. _They had sent down a whole series of diplomats to arrange a meeting with the leader of Hispania, and hopefully work everything out before war broke out. _At least it didn't hit Madrid. _

Suitors had began to appear at the palace. Her confusion over what had happened between her and Abel complicated things. _Should I wait for him? _

"There is a sir Nicolas to see you, my queen." The servant announced from the hallway. _If hunting down Cain is so important to Abel, then I will just need to move on. _

"I'll see him in just a few minutes," Esther called out.

_- - - -_

_(In a different deep dungeon at the Vatican) _

William Walter Wordsworth was not an easy man to surprise, but he had been shocked when he was arrested as soon as he landed in Rome. _Something must have happened with Caterina. For AX to become a rogue organization, she must have been implicated in something... but what? _Now he was in a dark cell. They had gagged him when he refused to stop asking them questions. _A rough group of guards. _

He fingered a small pouch in his pocket. They had missed it when they robbed him of all his valuables, because he put it in a special pocket on the inside of his coat. _I may have to use it. _"So you're a member of AX, are ya?" One guard asked, leaning against the bars of William's cell. "I figured I'd be a gentleman and tell ya what's going on before they kill ya. You look like a nice guy." _Kill me? This certainly isn't warranted. What has AX done, what has the Cardinal done to deserve this? _"Yep, yer gonna die soon. They're gonna shoot ya." _I need to get out of here. I must find something that can light the powder, so that I can escape._

He had developed the powder during his stay in Spain. It combined different elements that increased the power of gunpowder substantially, but he needed something to light it. The guard outside the cell pulled out a cigarette, and lit it up by putting it over the flame of a small candle. William suddenly got an idea. He motioned urgently to the guard. "What? You want a smoke?" the guard asked. _I only hope it works. _

- - - -


	19. Chapter 6: Section 1

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 6: Hidden Intent**

**Section 1: Basking Just Beneath the Surface**

Note: To tell you all the truth, I intended this story to end much sooner than it did, but it took a life of its own, and it appears as if it will continue for a good number of chapters still. If you all have opinions about the length of this story, then pleasevoice them in a review, or email them to me at Thank you all for making it this far already.

Note: Hey guys, I know this is rated as T, and there is a lot more violence in this chapter than I have had in any other. Did I cross the line?

_(In the fields just north of Rome) _

After only a few more hours of marching, scouts reported back to Astaroshe reporting that they had located the enemy swarm. The enemy mass was marching directly at the city just as she had suspected. Her scouts had also told her about the extensive damage to the front of the wall, including burnt-out towers and walls with missing sections. _And when Contra Mundi's men begin the attack, we'll fall upon them from behind. They should not be able to handle an attack from both sides in such a condition._ Under her orders, Astaroshe's army proceeded cautiously. They had extinguished their torches, and crept forward silently, whispering to each other small commands and assurances. Men, children, and some women grasped the weapons that they had become familiar with in the last few weeks, solemnly ready to utilize them to their full deadly potential.

"Will we be cut apart just like the army units we saw up north?" Ion hissed questioningly. Astaroshe suppressed her instinctive surge of impatience. _He's feeling the pre-battle doubts just like all inexperienced warriors. He needs me to provide him with confidence._ He continued, "they had rifles. We have rabble with sharpened sticks and rocks." Tres ran beside them

"Yes, but we know what to expect. Don't worry about the others. Just concentrate on your own blade and the blades of those that attack you," Astaroshe muttered back. She put her hand onto his, squeezing his hand against his blade. "The battle will feel strange to you at first," she explained as they moved forward. She removed her hand to run around the other side of a tree. They were approaching a nearby hilltop, where they would be able to see the enemy. "It will feel unreal, as if it was a dream. In that time, be sure to keep your mind sharp. If you survive that time, then you will be able to clear your head and kill without hesitation."

"I have killed without hesitation," He replied, jumping over a small fallen log. Hearing him land, Astaroshe chuckled, knowing he could hear.

"Not like this you haven't." Hearing this, Ion narrowed his eyes and decided not to continue speaking. They reached the top of the hill, and saw what was going on in the plains below. _It has already begun, _Astaroshe thought. To her surprise, the city's defenders were outside of the walls, preemptively attacking the reanimated men. The two forces were scrambling towards each other with amazing speed. _What the hell are they doing? _

_- - - - _

_(Just outside the walls of Rome) _

_They said it was impossible to defend the city, _Francesco thought, admiring the men that surrounded him. _They said that just because we had run out of ammo, and because the heavy clouds made it impossible to use our airships that we would lose. Now, they will see what the will of God can accomplish. _

They had formed the men of the New Vatican Army into columns as soon as the scouts reported that the reanimated vampire army was approaching. Seeing the enemies coming over the hill, the men began to hoot, and some even charged forward without orders. Francesco stood behind them with Colonel Christianson. "They are eager to fight," he said with a smirk. _Yes, and ready to die if necessary. _

"Men of the New Vatican Army!" Francesco shouted; the vampires were coming at them now. He would only have a few minutes. "You have all lived under the grace of god for your entire lives. You have seen and heard about the nations outside of our influence, poverty ridden and filled with despair." Some of the men nodded in agreement, waiting eagerly for the attackers to come upon them. "That army wishes to extend that misery to the one place where god's light pierces the darkness. I will not allow that to happen, as the interim Pope!" Francesco strode ahead of the troops, walking onto the grass in front of them. "I will attack with the light of god! Who wishes to join me?"

Instead of an answer, the men began to cheer, raising the familiar triumphant sound that Francesco had grown so accustomed to. "Now, we go forth!" He turned, and ran towards the enemy, but his jewel-encrusted armor weighed him down, and he was overtaken almost immediately by the mostly-unarmored crazed mob, which they had called the New Vatican Army.

In fact, they were civilians that had been indoctrinated to throw away their lives in the face of danger. Told that if they were to die, they would ascend to the heavens as soon as the last breath left their body. _And, if god wills it, perhaps I will as well. _As the emotionless vampire line grew closer, and Francesco drew his claymore, and still running at full speed, raised it above his head. He saw the face of the first enemy approach, and swung his sword down at full force. _God lend me strength._ It connected with a clean cut, and the vampire's head was severed.

- - - -

Meanwhile, Ion was at the front of the charge heading for the back of the reanimated force. He had already unsheathed his blade, which he yearned to swing and draw the enemy's blood once again. The swarm of vampires seemed to sense their approach, and half of them turned around to meet the ragtag force head on. The darkness suddenly seemed to rush upon them like an unstoppable tide as they raised their weapons and identified their targets. Ion identified his, and switched his blade to a backhand grip. _I will kill all of them. _

His target charged at him as well, and raised its axe. Before he could complete the swing, Ion darted forward and cut through the handle of its axe, and continued the thrust forward, cutting the vampires throat. It staggered down, approaching death. Ion sped up this process by piercing its heart with a swift stab. His vision had narrowed, and everything proceeded slowly in a blurry fashion.

From behind him, he identified the sound of a weapon heading for him at a high speed. He turned stupidly, watching the blade of an axe as it came in a blur towards his neck. Time slowed, but he couldn't move quickly enough to avoid it, and he couldn't raise his blade to parry it. Right before the axe struck his neck, it was parried aside by another blur, moving much quicker. The vampire got up to address this new threat, but its head was incinerated by a bright energy discharge. Astaroshe pulled Ion up with a quick arm motion, smiling. "I knew I'd have to keep an eye on you, Ion," she mocked.

Ion snarled, and turned, thrashing out at another target, cutting off its arm. All around him, the battle continued frantically, men were swinging, missing, cutting, and being cut with too many motions to properly identify at one time. Ion continued forward, killing one vampire at a time. He felt a rush like nothing he had ever experienced in his life. He dodged blows and landed them with such speed that he had never thought his body capable of. He was on top of the world. Nothing could touch him. Charging at one vampire, he was about to kill it before the head of a spear was thrust through its neck from behind. The man behind the slain vampire smiled broadly, and began to struggle to free his spear before another vampire cut off his head.

Screaming wildly, Ion plunged his blade into the vampire's gut and twisted the blade, feeling it shudder in pain. _Suffer, you bastard. Feel this blade. This is my blade, and it will be the last thing you feel on this earth. Cherish that. _Ion withdrew the sword from its flesh and struck off its head.

He turned to find another target, when he felt a sharp pain at the base of his foot. With his tendon severed, Ion fell to the ground, completely helpless. The vampire climbed atop him, and thrust a blade down to Ion's neck. Grabbing the blade an inch in front of his carotid artery, Ion fought as hard as he could to keep the blade from gaining any ground, but it continued to inch forward as it buried itself into his fingers. _I can't win. He's too strong, and I'm too weak. _Ion did the only thing that he could do, and gave up, directing the stronger man's hand down with all of his strength. The blade pierced his shoulder, but it was not fatal. Ion jammed his middle finger into the undead vampire's eye, and pulled. The vampire, barely deterred, kicked Ion in the side. _No where near enough. _

Ion pulled the blade form his shoulder quickly, and angled the hilt down, smashing it into the vampires face repeatedly until he saw the falsely replaced light of life exit his eyes. He dropped the blade, and searched on the ground for his old blade with his blood soaked hands. _Why do I hate them so much? _he wondered, wiping the blood from his eyes as he crawled between bodies. His hand ached. The cut was deep. He found his blade, and crawled along some more, seeing another enemy. _I've learned a new trick. _He severed the vampire's tendon and began to stab it fiercely.

When he was finished, he saw images flash before his mind. _That elegant face… That long, shining red hair… Those sweet, truthful eyes. They dared cut her, almost killing her, and for that I will kill them all, and then I will return to you Esther. _Ion thought this over and over in his mind as he pulled another vampire to the ground. The bloody business had just begun.

- - - -

Francesco barely dodged a thrust of a sword, and raised his claymore clumsily to block the next blow, but the attack was too hard for his weak hands, and the blade fell to the ground. He scrambled backwards, whimpering softly. _God, this is not my fate. I did not come here to die. _Francesco backed away as fast as he could, terrified. His attacker did not get to finish the job, however, and fell to the ground with a crossbow bolt through its chest.

Christianson patted Francesco on the shoulder, and pulled him to his feet. "You need to get to the back, sir," he said, pulling him along.

"But, I must fight. I must put my l-life in god's hands as I said," Francesco muttered. _Men all around me are throwing away their lives. _

"You bought your own bullshit zealotry? Ha-ha, you make me laugh Frank. Do you mind if I call you that?" he began to chuckle loudly as he tossed him to the ground. "Stay down there until it's over." _Insolent fool. How dare he talk to me like that? _

"Why did you save my life?" Francesco asked. _He's a sick bastard; he doesn't care about my life. He only cares about himself. _

"Colonel isn't the highest rank in the army," Christianson called out over his shoulder, loading another bolt into his crossbow. Francesco stayed on the ground as he was ordered.

- - - -

_(Royal Palace in Albion) _

Esther sat on one side of a table surrounded by guards. The ambassador from Hispania sat opposite from her, flanked by his own guards.

"The whole thing was an unfortunate accident! Terrorists took over the installation, booted up the software and fired the missile. Thankfully, one of our technicians was able to avert the path of the missile away from Madrid, saving countless lives," Esther stated. She was nervous, probably more nervous than she had ever been. In her hands was the fate of the nations Albion and Hispania.

"Even if I did believe that was the case," The ambassador snarled, smacking his hands on the table, "a nuke just exploded in our country, killing thousands. This nuke came from Albion, and if we don't get exactly what we want, we'll do what is necessary." _He threatens me so openly. _

Esther narrowed her eyes. "What is it that you want?"

"We want vengeance for our dead! One of your technicians must have either supplied that insurgent with the means to access your weaponry. If it was fired with lost technology as you said, then that means the vampires must have been behind it. The vampires that you have as technicians in your ghetto!" he shouted back. _Vengeance… if only he knew what I knew about vengeance. If only he knew what I knew about conflict. _

"I have great regret over what had happened to your country, and I do not expect you to have much empathy for us in this situation, but terrorists attempted to take my own life that same day. It was a concerted effort. Not only to attack Hispania to start a war, but also to destroy the leadership of this country."

The ambassador would have none of it. "So, they fail in killing you just barely, but they succeed in hitting my country with a nuke. Quite convenient wouldn't you say?" He laughed coldly for a few moments, and then stared at her coldly. "We demand that you hand the vampires over immediately to be tried in our courts for neglect and crimes against our country." _With the attitude in Spain as it was now, they would surely be found guilty._

"Your entire country is enraged. They just witnessed thousands of their countrymen die, and I will not give them my own people for your witch-hunt!" Sighing softly, Esther dropped her eyes before continuing, "I once felt the need to exact revenge against vampires after someone dear to me had been killed, and unlike your countrymen, I got to exact my revenge. I pulled the trigger, and stood over him and watched him die!"

The ambassador scoffed, shaking his head. "Quite a touching tale, miss, but not relevant at all to-," he was cut off.

"And do you know what?" Esther paused, her passion rising. "After I killed that man, I didn't feel healed. I didn't feel like justice had been done! I felt like garbage! I felt as if a part of my soul had just been destroyed when I pulled that trigger."

"Perhaps it was!" the ambassador snarled. One of Esther's guards growled, but she raised her hand to calm him.

"I will conduct my own thorough internal investigation, and anyone that I find guilty will be sent to Hispania to do with what you will, but I will not have you parading them around and having them needlessly tortured or demeaned!"

"Hispania does not answer to Albion!" He yelled.

"And Albion does not answer to Hispania!" She countered. "If that is all you have to say, then I suggest you leave now."

"I will," he said, getting up. Giving her one last cold glance over his shoulder, he exited the room.

"Do you want us to escort him out, Your Excellency?" Mary Spencer asked.

"No, let them go," Esther answered, rising as well. "I want you to personally contact all of our defensive batteries and to and make it explicitly clear that no matter what happens, we will not be the first to fire. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Spencer replied, lowering her head respectfully.

- - - -

_(Inside the deepest dungeon of the Vatican) _

She got as close as she dared, just outside of the reach of the gnarled hand that beckoned her to approach. Seeing that she would not get any closer, the hand stopped motioning for her to approach, and pointed to her skirt frantically.

"You… want this?" Caterina asked, pointing to her shirt. The hand gave her a thumbs-up. _That must mean yes. _

Reaching down, she tore a large section from her skirt, which was once bright and clean, but was now dirty and wet. Holding the torn section in her hands, she tossed it cautiously to the hand and waited eagerly to see what the mysterious hand would do next. It grabbed the fabric, and pulled it into the dark cell. For a while, it seems as if the man in the cell next to them had ceased to exist, because it was so quiet. _What could he be doing?_ But a few moments later, she heard a muffled gasp of pain followed by the sound of something being dragged over smooth fabric.

A few minutes later, the hand appeared again. This time, there was a bloody cut in the side of the wrist, which was leaking bright-red blood down the side of the arm. It was also holding the section of her skirt. Seeing that she would not take it directly from his hand, he tossed the rag to Caterina. She picked it up, and saw that he had used blood to write something on the cloth, but because they had taken her glasses, she couldn't read it. "Alessandro, what does this say?" Caterina asked. He looked at it intently and then back to her.

"… Desire."

"Are you certain?"

Alessandro looked down again, and then nodded. Caterina looked into the ominous cell, and into the darkness within. _Does he desire me? Has this dark place sucked his humanity away, leaving him with only primal instincts and urges? _She scooted away, horrified.

However, the hand waved, catching her attention, and then, to clarify what he had written, he pointed to the guard standing at the end of the hallway. "He… desires…?" Then, the hand pointed back to Caterina. "Me?" It made another thumbs-up gesture.

"Sister… what's going on?" Alessandro asked.

_This is something I must do. Not only for myself, but for him as well. _"I want you to understand something Alessandro. Sometimes it is necessary to commit one sin to prevent a greater sin from taking place."

"But sister," Alessandro protested.

"Do you understand Alessandro?" she snapped harshly. He lowered his head in fear, and nodded slowly. Caterina picked up a small jagged rock that was laying in the corner of the cell, and hid it in her hand. Approaching the front of the cell, she leaned her head out of the bars.

"Hey!" She called out softly. The men at the other end of the dungeon were either asleep, or away. _Probably snuck out to fight in the next big battle. _The guard lifted his head, hearing that she had said something, but it took him a few seconds to realize it was her, and he smiled stupidly. _He's an idiot, _she realized.

"Uh.. I'm not supposed to talk to you," he whispered back, smiling.

"Don't worry about that right now," she said in her most sweet and sultry voice, smiling prettily, and leaning back. The guard's interest was immediately peaked. _The man in the cell was right. He's attracted to me, although he is trying to hide it. _

"Well… I…," he trailed off, losing his train of thought as Caterina hiked up her torn skirt just an inch by sliding forward.

"I have a little secret that I want to tell you," she whispered.

"Uh huh," he replied.

She leaned in closer, eyeing him intensely. "I know that I'm going to die soon."

"What? I mean… uhh well…," he replied, stuttering.

"There have been some things that my position has made it impossible for me to do. Some things that I have always craved to do. Can you do me a favor before I die, and just indulge me," she said, licking her lips.

"W-what?" he asked.

"Let me come out there to freedom for one last time, and I'll make it worth your while," she said seductively. The guard hesitated, then reconsidered, and was soon fumbling to unlock the cell. "Quick! I can hardly wait!" she muttered urgently. Alessandro watched in horror from behind her. _That poor boy. _As soon as the cell door opened, Caterina stood up and leaned against the door, spreading her legs slowly. The guard rushed forward clumsily, bumping into her and kissing her. His arms wrapped around her as he began to quickly tear away her clothes. He had barely ripped away her shirt when she reached to his throat, and opened it with the jagged rock that she had been hiding all along. The man opened his eyes wide in shock and slumped to the ground as air rushed out of his opened windpipe. The crimson blood seeped out of his wound and spread just as the guilt that spread through her body. She watched the boy die. _Just a poor young boy from the city, and I have taken his life. God forgive me. _


	20. Chapter 6: Section 2

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 6: Hidden Intent**

**Section 2: The End of the Failing Principle  
**

Note: No reviews :( I'm very upset, I think that last chapter was my best work so far...

_(In the Woods North of Rome) _

Markizan landed his airship gently. He had seen the wreckage of the battle just south of where he landed, and something told him that Astaroshe had been involved. _If she died, then this trip will have been for nothing, _he thought with a frown.

He marched along, keeping a solid grip on his trusty spear just in case. He almost felt as if he had developed a bond with his weapon because he had trained with it for many years. That was why his grip tightened when he recalled just what had brought him here. _Astaroshe, the bitch. _Letting out a scream of fury, he extended his spear and swung it down with one violent motion. A single tree happened to stand in the way. It was an oak at least two yards in diameter. But something was different about this blow. He felt the anger surge through his body and into his hands. The spear seamed to vibrate in his hands right before he landed the blow, and afterwards, he felt as if he had been drained by a large amount of energy, but the oak stood without any visible damage. _Must have been nothing._

He continued forward, fuming about what Astaroshe had said to him. _In front of all those people. _Having taken just two steps, he heard a low rumble behind him, and turned to see the oak shatter into small splinters and collapse to the ground. _Just what happened when I hit that tree? _He wondered, but he shrugged it off, and began to walk forward again. _No one talks about my grandmother and my family name with such impudence. When the assistant to the Empress told me Astaroshe's location, she wouldn't have dreamed of my intent. I will duel to protect the honor of my family, and that duel will be to the death. _

_- - - - _

_(On the battlefield just North of Rome) _

It was done. The men who had not been killed by the initial fighting were now finishing off the wounded reanimated invaders, hacking each of their heads off and leaving it next to the body. Astaroshe looked around frantically for Ion. _If he were to fall, I could never forgive myself. _She had been carried away by the fighting, almost unable to control her senses as she fought, and lost sight of him. Her arms ached, something that had not happened to her in a long time.

Not able to find him, she realized that her biggest fear may have been realized. She began to turn bodies over, looking for his face. "Ion! Where are you?" she finally screamed out. None of the stone-faced men and women that passed her seem to notice. "Is someone there?" she yelled desperately.

"Positive," a familiar metallic voice answered from behind her. Astaroshe turned, glad that she had found someone.

"Tres! You're alive!" _I thought I was the only one. I thought that they had died, and that I had survived and I would need to live with that guilt. Just like the guilt I felt so many years ago. _

"Operating at 90" Tres replied blankly. "Ammo exhausted."

"Where is Ion!" Astaroshe demanded. Tres looked around, scanning the bodies that surrounded them.

"Target located. Ion Fortuna is exactly thirty two meters to the south of our position." Astaroshe ran ahead quickly, seeing that no one in that direction was still standing. _I was stronger than you. I should have been looking after you. _She finally found him laying on the ground surrounded by a pile of undead, looking up into the sky with his blade clutched to his side.

"It's over," Astaroshe said gently.

"Yes," he replied, staring directly ahead. _He still hasn't rebounded. The battle has taken a toll on his senses. _

"You're bleeding," she said with concern, seeing the wound at the base of his foot.

"I can stand. It doesn't need to be looked at," he said, pulling himself to his feet. Hobbling over to her, he was forced to sit down again. Tres strode to her side, staring ahead as blankly as Ion.

"How many did you get, Tres?" Ion asked as he began wrapping his wounded foot.

"Two-hundred and forty seven confirmed kills," Tres answered. Astaroshe's marveling only lasted a brief moment before her attention was shifted.

Ion turned to Astaroshe, focusing his eyes for the first time after the battle had ended. "Asta... I've been thinking about Esther. When this battle ended, all I could think about was to see her again. I need to go to her."

Asta smiled knowingly. "I once asked Abel if he thought it was okay for you and Esther to love each other, and his simple answer changed my perception of everything since then," she paused, comforted by the thought of Abel. _When he answered, I confirmed my own desire to love him, but at that time I wouldn't admit it to myself. _"Go to her, Ion." _If it's possible for you, it's possible for all of us, and it's possible to have peace at last. _Ion nodded, and turned to leave. Somewhere in the distance a dog howled sorrowfully.

"Disperse now before you are all arrested!" a man roared. _What? We just saved this city... how dare they. _Astaroshe walked forward, taking her staff along. She approached until she saw who was making the disturbance. _Francesco, the Cardinal's brother? I must explain this. _

"Cardinal Francesco!" Astaroshe called out, shouldering her spear. Turning wrathfully, he narrowed his eyes when he saw her.

"What do you want?" he snarled.

"I'm Astaroshe Asran, I met with your sister just under a month ago to discuss a peace treaty between the Methuselah and the Vatican. We marched this army down to assist you against the invading force," she explained.

"Ah... yes, my sister. She is no longer in the picture," he said first, smiling coldly. _In the picture? What is he talking about? _"As normal, she did not discuss this treaty with me, so it is null. Get your army out of the Vatican before we decide to drive you out!"

"If you didn't notice, we just saved your precious Vatican! If we had not been here, then-," she was cut off.

"Then we would have suffered far less casualties. The confusion that you created by introducing your rabble to the fight almost lost us the battle!" Astaroshe scoffed, shaking her head.

"What have you done with the Cardinal!" Astaroshe demanded.

Francesco's lip trembled, and he sneered icily. "You've tried my patience enough. Arrest her!" he called out. At his command, a group of twenty men was closing in. Astaroshe swung her spear around, making them jump back in fear.

_They have no projectile weapons. _"Just twenty?" Astaroshe asked with a smile.

"What are you waiting for? Get her!" Francesco commanded. The group hesitated just a second longer, and then they began to charge. Laughing, Astaroshe parried the first strike and kicked the man in the pelvis. She ducked below the second strike, which hit the first unfortunate man in the gut. Jumping, she flew from the danger zone, smashing an unsuspecting man in the skull before landing on another man's shoulders. A few seconds later, the whole group was incapacitated.

"Good show," a man behind her growled, holding a pistol directly at her. "You're coming with us." Astaroshe froze. _At this range, as soon as I moved, he'd shoot. I'd probably be hit, and I have no doubt that the gun is filled with silver bullets. _She was about to comply, when she heard a muffled grunt from behind her, followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground. Turning in surprise, she saw the last thing she expected. _Markizan Henarios, the grandson of the Henarios whore. _

"You," she snarled.

"Me," he replied with a smile.

"Wait a sec everyone!" Leon called out. Astaroshe ignored him. "I need to see Caterina immediately, Cardinal," he said with a bow.

"Then you will. Men, take him to Caterina!" Francesco ordered.

"Why did you help me?" she asked, still staring at Markizan.

"I couldn't duel you if you were in prison, could I?" he questioned, drawing his spear.

- - - -

_(A Contra Mundi stronghold in Scotland, Albion) _

"He's coming!" Abel heard one man shout, running away. _So they've seen me. _Abel allowed his nanobots to rush to action, transforming into 40 Krusnik without the vocal order. His nanobots had been getting more fluid lately as he used them more and more. _Am I losing my humanity? Every day, do I become more and more like Cain? _One vampire rushed out with a concealed blade at a speed that would seem fast to anyone else, but seemed like child's play to Abel. _Not fast enough. _He swung his scythe, decapitating him.

Shots began to sound around the complex as people opened up on Abel with guns. He simply charged forward through the hail of gunfire, avoiding the bullets and swiping each of the gunmen, sending jets of crimson into the air and entering the building. The showers of blood coated his body, and it dripped down his coat as he advanced. He felt a net fall onto him, and tighten. _Just like the one Dietrich caught me with. Has he made more? _Abel strained his muscles, as electricity popped around him, and the net burst off him, broken into smoldering pieces, but it was too late. A blade had pierced his gut from the side. Abel swung his scythe, but the vampire jumped back skillfully.

He felt a scorching heat as a fireball smashed into him from another direction. He turned, seeing another vampire with raised hands, and cut him in half vertically. The blood began to swirl around him, quenching his ravenous thirst. The man with the blade came at him again, but this time he sensed it, and grabbed the knife, pulling it from his hands. He them grabbed the arm of the trembling vampire, and ripped it out of his socket. The vampires started fleeing the stronghold in all directions, shouting wildly. _What is that noise? _He heard it again, a steady beeping in the room below him. _A bomb! _

Abel ran for the nearest window, ready to jump, but he heard the bomb explode beneath him. Soon, the shockwave would follow. _I'm still too far. _He picked up speed, but he saw the roof fall upon him. Heavy bricks and timber supports fell, reaching out for him as he approached the window. The window itself fell apart, and the building fell on top of him with crushing weight.

Disoriented, Abel pulled himself out of the rubble, but something was hurting his right leg. Looking down, he saw that a jagged piece of wood had pierced it, and that he was bleeding profusely. Hoping to take advantage of the situation, a vampire rushed forward with a sword, but Abel struck him down without even a second glance as he pulled the huge splinter out of his flesh, and tossed it to the ground. More vampires approached in the open environment, and Abel heard shots begin to ring out again. _This is going to be a long day. _

- - - -

_(North of Rome, hidden in the woods) _

Dietrich fumed. He could not believe what had happened. _All of my puppets, dead in one battle. And all we accomplished was toppling one puny government in Germanicus! _He began running to find the messenger that should be arriving shortly. _He should have an airship, and then we can return to Sassnitz. _

They would need to change their plan. The Vatican had held firm each time they tried to topple it, but, on the other hand, Albion had just elected a new and inexperienced Queen. It should be much easier to destroy, especially with the tensions with Spain as they were now. _Ah, and I will get to torment Esther a bit more. _Dietrich had mixed feelings about Esther. He had once pretended to be her friend, and during that time, something about Esther softened him, but that did not keep him from accomplishing his mission. _When I faked my first death, she cried out my name and tried to throw her life away for me, _he remembered.

Still, something of that softness remained in him, and it yearned for her. _I am the puppetmaster! I need no one! _he thought to himself with a smirk, but the thought was a hollow one, and he knew it. _Perhaps I will keep her alive when I'm done destroying her government, but then what? _Confused, and feeling emotions that he had rarely felt in his life, Dietrich continued north.

- - - -

_(In the royal palace of Albion) _

Esther sat in her room, waiting for more bad news. It streamed in every hour in the guise of new war alerts with Spain, reports from the Vatican, and the vampire conflict in the streets of Londinium. _They have made new posters. This time, they say that I wish to corrupt Albion with vampire influence, _Esther recalled. She rubbed her head, trying to alleviate another one of splitting headaches, when she caught sight of the small black feather which rested on the corner of her desk. All of a sudden, she began to sob again, tracing the length of the feather with her finger. _Abel... how could you do that to me? How could you let me kiss you and then leave? _

What had happened between Abel and her tormented her constantly. She had refused to see the suitors since, and remained alone in her room, allowing only Mary Spencer to deliver her the news from the many conflicts around the globe. _Why am I so weak? He is not the only man in the world. _She began to think, taking the feather and jamming it into the drawer of her desk.

"My Queen!" the muffled voice of Mary Spencer called from the other side of the door. Esther wiped the tears from her cheeks and straightened herself out, heading towards the door. Opening it, she let Mary in, and closed it behind her.

"What's happened?" Esther asked sullenly.

"Spain has started to mobilize their military," Spencer replied.

"We can't respond the same way. That will only escalate things," Esther whispered.

"But, Your Excellency, if they were to attack and we were not mobilized..."

Esther cut her off, "then many people would die, just like many people would die if they attacked and we were mobilized. People are still people."

"I understand, Your Highness," Spencer said, giving in. She was about to turn, when she noticed that tears had moistened her eyelashes. "What's wrong, Esther?" she asked softly. Esther looked up, not wanting to say what had been troubling her. Not wanting to look weak, but a part of her needed to shout out just how bad everything was.

"There is a man... that I love," Esther whispered weakly, looking down. "He cares for me, but he does not love me. He loves a woman who has been dead for a long time. He cares more about getting vengeance for her than he does for me, but I can't let go of him." _I can't believe I'm telling her this. _

Spencer sighed, thinking for a few moments before answering, "you love this man with all of your heart, but he does not love you?" she asked. Esther nodded. _He can't love me. Not if he left like that. _"Is there anyone else that you know loves you as much as you love him? Someone... that might be feeling the same pain that you are feeling now, but only because you are in love with someone else?" Esther's mind raced. _Let's meet again some time. _She had noticed the way Ion looked at her. The way she made the brightness appear in his eyes. She saw the determination in his eyes when he plunged the blade into his own chest.

"Yes, there is another."

"Find out if the man you love truly loves you. If he does not, then continuing to seek him will only hurt you. If he does not love you, find someone who does, and attach yourself to them."

"Thank you, Mary," Esther said. _Abel... if you do not return soon, I will move on. _

- - - -

_(On the outskirts of the City)_

"You have any last words?" One of the enforcers grumbled, pointing the gun at Petros. Petros turned at him with a frown, and spat onto the ground. They were against the wall, and in front of them was aligned a group of twenty men with rifles assigned with having them killed. _Francesco's last gift for my years of service, no doubt. _

"Take your positions!" The lead guard shouted, showing that he was missing his two front teeth. The front rank of the men kneeled, and the others stood, holding their guns at the ready.

"Make ready!" he yelled next. With a loud wave of clicking metal, the rifles were positioned into the air.

"Aim!" was the next command, now the rifles angled directly at Petros and Paula.

"I have no regrets," Paula whispered, grasping Petros' hand. Petros nodded silently, and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. _However short our affair, it was sweet nonetheless. May god recognize its purity. _

Paula closed her eyes as the next order approached. "Keep your eyes open," Petros growled. "Face death with open eyes." She opened them.

"Fire!" _God's light guide me and this woman to our final destination, and forgive those that have done this to us. Heaven's purity can embrace even the most evil of souls if they repent their sins. May the light come upon me quickly and burn my mortal body until only my soul is left. Burn away the pain. _

- - - -

_(In the deepest dungeon of the Vatican) _

Caterina unlocked the cell to the man next to her. The shadow that had guided her out of the darkness herself. Hearing him approach, she backed up slowly. Alessandro shivered behind her. The man slowly exited, his narrowed eyes squinted as if it had been the first time in decades they had seen the sun. His skin was wrinkled and pale, covered by bruises and healing scabs, and his mouth was fastened with a large metallic gag that was locked shut.

He pointed his head to the keys in Caterina's hand. Stupefied, Caterina had to snap back to herself before handing him the keys. He unlocked the gag with a loud click, and pulled it off, throwing it to the ground. He turned around, heading for the exit. "Where are you going?" Caterina called out.

"I'm leaving this dark place, and I'm going wherever I wish to go. This world is corrupt. I need to find the purity," he whispered raspily. _He must not have used his voice for a long time. _"Thank you for helping me, but I must say now. You are not going to escape this place." Having said this, the stranger walked up the stairs. No sooner had he began his ascent, when loud footsteps thundered down the same staircase towards them. Surprisingly, they didn't notice the pale man as he climbed past them.

Guards armored in heavy plate and carrying large weapons spilled into the dungeon, and their torches illuminated the dark halls. "Trying to escape, Cardinal Caterina?" the lead man asked, advancing slowly. _There's five of them, we can still make it out. _Caterina picked up the jagged rock again, and threw herself at them wildly. "Run, Alessandro!" she yelled, as she cut at the lead man. However, Alessandro was too scared to move, and he sat, trembling, in the corner. "Run!" she repeated, lunging at the lead man again, but this time, he blocked the rock with his shield, and slammed it into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. She slumped to the ground, gasping, but he was not done with her.

"I've always wanted to do this to a Cardinal," he said with a smile. His companions began to laugh. He grabbed Caterina by the armpit, lifting her into the air with one hand, and winded up with the other. His mailed fist smashed into her jaw, sending her sprawling to the ground. "Stay there, bitch, and don't you dare move!" he growled.

He walked towards the Pope, each footstep echoing ominously in the dark hallway. Caterina wavered between consciousness and unconsciousness and watched helplessly with blurry vision. Her head throbbed from the force of the impact, but it was nothing compared with the crushing knowledge that they had failed.

The man who had hit her approached Alessandro, who squirmed to get away, but he held him down. "Run..." Caterina whimpered. "Please, run." Soon, the men were holding the boy down, and the lead man pulled out a small syringe filled with blood red liquid.

"The things I do for that star on my shoulder!" he said with a laugh as he plunged the needle into the boy's arm. As Alessandro screamed out, he pushed the plunger down, injecting him.

- - - -

That's T H E E N D for now everyone. This story has definitely grown VERY LONG! Much longer than I could have anticipated, and interest seems to have dwindled, so, until I get a good number of emails or reviews telling me otherwise, I will not continue to write this story.

Think of this as Part 1. Part 2 will only come when Part 1 has gained enough momentum. Thank you everyone who has read so far, and I hope that you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	21. Chapter 6: Section 3

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 6: Hidden Intent**

**Section 3: Known and Unknown **

Note: 100 hits reached. Enjoy this next segment everyone!

_(In a back alley in Rome) _

Petros saw everything progress, as if it were slow motion. He saw each finger pressed up against the triggers of the rifles, prepared to destroy his mortal body with a single volley. But as he heard the first discharge, Paula's grip slackened, and he felt her rush away. _It's no use, Paula. There are too many rifles, you couldn't possibly avoid all the shots. _But he soon saw that it was not her intention to flee. _No! _

The street was briefly illuminated by the muzzle flashes of the firing squad, but all Petros could see was the outline of Paula as she shielded him from the bullets his mind had already so readily embraced. The flying bullets ripped her body apart, tearing her soft skin to pieces as her vital organs were impaled by shot after shot. "NO!" Petros roared. He felt pain from a few bullets that had not been content with Paula's flesh alone, but he was far from dead. _She shielded me!_ The shooting stopped, and she fell limply against him, soaking him with her precious blood. She shivered, gasping against him. "Paula..." Petros whispered.

"Y-you saved my life, Petros," she coughed out, blood oozing from her lips. He looked down, seeing that her chest had been completely obliterated by the executioners. _It's amazing she isn't already dead. _"I'll be waiting for y-," she began. Another shot rang out, and this time, the top of Paula's head exploded and her body went lifeless against him. Petros clung to her fiercely as her blood and his tears mixed together into small rivulets that ran down his face. _I want to die, _he thought, rocking her gently. _They're supposed to shoot us in the head! I was supposed to die! _Petros' eyes shut.

"We got the bitch, but he's still alive!" a soldier called out. Petros' eyes shot open, and he placed Paula gently on the ground. _She wanted me to live! I will not squander that wish. _

"Reload! Reload now!" the officer said, holding up his pistol. Petros got onto his feet, ignoring a wound in his right thigh. He walked forward with slow deliberate steps, drawing himself closer to the officer with the smoldering pistol.

"I'm out of ammo! That was my last clip!" another soldier cried out, panicked. Seeing Petros approach, the officer aimed his pistol, and began to fire. Petros raised his arms, shielding his head and chest from the fire. He felt the bullets, each entering his arm like small cones of molten steel, but it was not enough to stop him.

"Wh-what?" the officer choked out, dropping his gun to the ground and preparing to flee. Petros grabbed his neck with both hands, lifting him off of the ground.

"You have murdered. May God have mercy on your soul." Having said this, Petros twisted his neck with a harsh jolt. He heard a click, as another soldier finished reloading. Petros threw the officer's lifeless body at the soldier, knocking him to the ground. _I will find you Francesco._ Covered with bullet wounds and gore from the woman that he loved, Petros picked up a gun and began to walk towards the Papal palace.

- - - -

_(Albion, in the secret Rozenkruez Orden stronghold of Londinium) _

"Do you intend on telling me what you are going to do with her?" the man opposite Dietrich asked, holding an untouched glass of wine in his hand.

"No, but you will soon see the consequences of your actions. It goes far deeper than you know," Dietrich answered, painted with his usual carefree smile. _If I mask my face with a smile, I am the only one who knows what is going through my head. _Dietrich had chosen the heavily furnished meeting room of southern Londinium because of it's style, and because it was one of the most secure safe-houses at the Orders disposal. Adorned with heavy tapestries and large, ornate couches, the room served as a club house for rich old men on weekends.

The man eyed Dietrich carefully, as if sizing him up. "Of course. I hope the Order hasn't lost its faith in me simply because of a few years of infiltration work."

"It's standard procedure, you know that, but I promise that when it's all over and done with, I'll show you the entire plan," Dietrich didn't let his amusement show as he said this, however. _This fool will never catch on. He doesn't know that he's just one pawn in a giant game of chess, and I'm the person moving the pieces. Pawns can be sacrificed. _Dietrich took a small sip from his cup, and placed it down on the table in front of him with a loud clunk.

"Very well, it'll be done, but kidnaping the Queen of Albion is certainly going to pose a challenge," he said, sipping from his drink at last.

"Be glad that we're entrusting you with such an important mission so early in your membership, and... we gave you explicit orders to refer to your target as 'Evening Star'," Dietrich answered. The man paled, and looked down rubbing his hands together. _A dope like this will not be missed. _

"I'm sorry, it slipped my mind," he offered weakly. When their business was concluded, and the details of the kidnaping were settled, Dietrich watched him exit, waiting for him to be far away before brooding over what had been said. _That fool. He thinks that he can see someone high up in the Order such as myself without safeguards? He was smart enough to wait for me to drink the wine first, but I added the antidote to my drink, and not to his. He will die one way or another within twenty-four hours. _

- - - -

_(In the battlefield north of Rome) _

Markizan eyed his target warily. They had been staring at one another for at least three minutes after Astaroshe accepted the duel to the death. _Is she sizing me up, or is she afraid? _he wondered, clutching his spear nervously. She finally spoke in a low, blunt tone, "it is three hours until daybreak. That should be plenty of time for me to deal with your family's precious honor." Ion had left just minutes before, the Vatican had retreated from the fields after extracting their dead, and the army that Astaroshe had led from the north took what food they needed, and dispersed. They were alone.

"No one speaks of my Grandmother that way! I will risk my life to ensure that!" Markizan said intensely.

"But it's no use," Astaroshe said with a chuckle. ", the entire Empire talks about your Grandmother that way. She did get impregnated by a Terran without being married, or am I thinking of a different whore?"

"They... they loved each other! How dare you defile their name? Before their names were tarnished by you greedy low-class nobles, they had a record of service that was unrivaled in the history of the Empire!"

"Aww.. So you lost your holdings because your grandmother couldn't keep her pants on... Are we going to talk it out, or do you want to fight?" Astaroshe asked, holding her spear in a frontal defensive position.

"Very well!" Markizan cried out, swinging his first blow to her right. She easily blocked it, and he continued to attack, seeing her parry for each of his strikes, and sizing up her technique. _That huge spear that she wields has no counterweight on the blunt end, but has a huge front. It is terribly unbalanced, if I can only use that to my advantage... _

Next, Markizan took the defensive, and began to parry her strikes one after another. She attacked in the same searching way that he did, getting a feel for his talent, and searching for his weaknesses. When she had finished, they both sensed that the real fight was about to begin.

Markizan began to attack again, parrying the few counters that Astaroshe could fit in between his storm of attacks. He attempted to catch her off guard, buy luring her into chasing one end of his spear, as he swung the other around the other way, but she was far too talented to fall for such a trick, so he waited for his last measure. _Her unbalanced spear. _Markizan bade his time, increasing his distance, and hoping that she would attempt to jab him.

"Scared of me already, little boy?" Astaroshe asked with a smile. Markizan said nothing, waiting patiently. Astaroshe attacked, and this time it was just as Markizan wanted. She jabbed at him with a frontal attack. _Once I am done with her, only a few more fights will be needed before no one dares insult my family name. _He knocked the spear's overweight front towards the ground and swung for her exposed side, but surprisingly, she anticipated this, and dodged away, and her overweighted spear head, which he had thought would be disabled temporarily by his strike, flew back up and struck his gut with crushing force. He doubled over, feeling that one of the four spikes jutting out from the side sinking into his gut. "Is that it? Is that the feeble fight that you put up for your family pride?" Astaroshe mocked, pulling the spear out, and allowing his blood to spill to the ground. Markizan struggled to stay on his feet. "I know that you tried to take advantage of the fact that my spear is unbalanced, but that is exactly why your plan didn't work. It's not unbalanced. The counterweight is embedded into the core of the butt end!"

_Cheating bitch, _Zan thought, circling her again. Blood dripped out of his wound slowly, splattering at his feet. The only advantage he thought he had evaporated with her attack to his side. _I have only one more thing to rely upon now. My speed. _Astaroshe simply stared ahead, unaffected by the sight of the blood of another vampire noble. Every vampire understood the seriousness of a duel. To back down would mean shame for centuries, and although duels rarely occurred, they were a vital part of Methuselah culture.

- - - -

_(In the deepest dungeon of the Vatican)_

Caterina let out a low moan as she came to her senses, and began to feel the full pain from her injuries. She had been thrown roughly against the back wall of the cell, and woke up sitting against it. The cold winter air chilled her to the core, chasing all the life from her body one numbing second after another. Only her right side seemed to still hold its sensation, because Alessandro had pressed himself up against her in that spot, but this warmth barely offered her respite, in fact, her being able to feel that part of her body was causing her agonizing pain, because it still felt the full extent of the cold, but she did not remove him. He offered her more of an emotional relaxation than anything else.

She lifted her weak wrist, dangling it over his disheveled hair and patting it down comfortingly. He squirmed, muttering something against her, but was asleep. Caterina smiled, running her hands over his small head. _Please, let it be a good dream, Alessandro. _She began to notice a presence outside almost directly after she woke up, but chose not to address it. However, this presence revealed itself by stepping forward, highlighting its shape against the outside of her cell.

"Here to gloat?" she questioned softly, removing her hands from Alessandro's hair. Francesco shook his head.

"I'm not so vain, sister," he replied, yet he had a triumphant smile on his face.

"Then why are you here?" she asked, lowering her head. The darkness cast shadows upon her eyes, allowing her to better discern Francesco.

"I thought it would be a good thing as your loyal brother to inform you on the situation. Fear of the unknown is one of man's greatest fears..." he sighed, grasping one of the bars of the cell. "so I will let you know just what it is that will drag you from this world, sister."

"And what's that?" she asked, humoring him.

"Hunger," he answered simply, turning away.

"For what? For power?" she growled at him, stopping him in mid-turn.

"Hardly! Your intuition has grown dull down here!" He chuckled for a few seconds, turning around. "What will drag you from this world is... hunger for blood." Saying nothing else, Francesco walked down the hall, and his form and the sound of his footfalls gently eased away.

_What could he mean? _She strained her mind, trying to figure it out, and brought a hand to her forehead to help her ponder. This hand found large flakes of dried blood coating her skin, but she didn't mind. Finally, she looked down. Alessandro, who had been sleeping gently until this point, began to snarl and kick in his dreams, hissing softly. She moved her hand down to his trembling mouth, and pulled up one of his lips, finding his Canines. _They have grown... _she realized. His lip snapped shut, tensing up. _That injection, it was..._ Pope Alessandro began to twitch as he slowly woke up. _If he has just turned, he is a fledgling and his need for blood is immense. Did they inject him with something else to accelerate the turning as well? _

- - - -

_(In the local city watch barracks) _

Leon entered the small barracks, led by one of Francesco's lieutenants. _They said that I would be able to see Caterina... _"Caterina isn't in here, is she?" Leon asked, mildly annoyed. All that he saw was groups of ruffians and dirty men in groups, playing cards and drinking.

The lieutenant didn't answer his question. "So you're a member of AX?" he asked him with a malicious gleam in his eye. The yelling, singing, and other noises around the room suddenly vanished, as the whole barracks looked up at Leon.

"Um, well..." Leon glanced around nervously, seeing all the eyes looking up at him. "Yeah." Every person in the room suddenly pulled out a weapon, and they aimed them all at Leon. "What's going on? I'm going to see Caterina, isn't that what you promised?" Leon laughed nervously, backing towards the exit.

The lieutenant grabbed him by the collar, stopping him. "Well, I will keep that promise. Francesco has ordered that every member of AX be killed immediately."

"How does that keep your promise with me?" Francesco yelled questioningly.

"Well, Francesco told me that we'd just hold you until we killed Caterina, then we could bury you two together. You'll be able to see her, for sure."

Having said this the man shot Leon in the foot with a concealed pistol. Crying out, Leon fell onto the ground. _God damn it! This is certainly a messy situation! _"In your case, we were simply going to welcome you and allow you to serve your remaining nine-hundred year sentence, but since you _insisted_ that you see Caterina, I think the plan has been altered a bit." Leon gasped, grasping his foot. _I can't run. There's too many of them. _

They began to drag Leon deeper into the building. _Probably to some kind of prison concealed within this building. _Before they got the rest of the way, the Barracks was filled with a loud beeping noise. "The intercom!" one of the soldiers yelled. They all turned to the ceiling and waited.

"This is Cardinal Francesco!" the voice said, and by what Leon could tell it was him. "A vampire has escaped and is currently a mile north of this very complex! I order all available personnel to track her down!" The barracks quickly degenerated into a hurried bustle as men rushed to go outside. _Wow, like little worker ants. _Francesco's voice quickly added, "the first one to get her gets an instant promotion and a thousand Denari!" If they were rushing before, after Francesco added this small comment the barracks exploded with people rushing to get outside, with men so eager to get out, that they were climbing out of the small windows. Just a few seconds later, only a few men had remained behind. One of them was passed out with a bottle of beer in his hand, and the other three were reluctantly guarding him.

"Let's get him in the cell quick so that we can get out there and help," one of the guards grumbled. _If I want to escape, now is the time, _Leon thought eagerly. Just as he was being pushed into the cell, something flew through the window behind the guards.

"Look!" Leon shouted, pointing towards the small bomb. The guards turned to the object stupidly, while Leon covered his eyes. _I recognize that device, I believe that it's one of the Professor's. _His assumption was confirmed when a flash of blinding light, followed by a small explosion issued from the device.


	22. Chapter 7: Section 1

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 7: On the Other Hand...**

**Section 1: The World**

_(In a Vatican Barracks, Rome) _

There was a blinding flash of light, stinging his eyes, even as they were closed and shielded by his arm. Then, there was a large crescendo of screaming. Certain that it was over and knowing that he had to get moving, Leon opened his eyes. The room was smokey and dark. The brief flash of light had left him disoriented, but not nearly to the degree of the two guards that had been escorting him to his cell, who now writhed on the ground clutching their eyes, screaming out obscenities. One of the pair raised his gun and started firing blindly in all directions, accompanying each shot with a creative curse, however the shots all missed and struck harmlessly against the surrounding stone walls. _It must be the Professor. Damn you Wordsworth, I should have known... _

But it was not Wordsworth who Leon saw jump through the ceiling window. "Leon! Quick, grab onto my harness!" It was a female figure of short stature, motioning to him with a gloved hand. A familiar crop of disheveled hair fell over her fragile-looking face, but her eyes had an adventurous sparkle.

"Sarah?" Leon questioned, not willing to believe his stinging eyes. He stumbled forward, grasping onto the secure harness that held her small frame.

"I'm going to kill you for what you did to my eyes, you son of a bitch..." one of the guards muttered, reaching for an extra magazine. Blood ran from between his fingers as they remained firm over his eyes, but his ears would be enough for him to fire towards them.

"Pull us up!" Sarah shouted, grabbing Leon with a surprisingly forceful motion. Leon hesitated a few moments, seeing that it was really her. _How can this be the same Sarah that I found as an innocent little girl refugee with her parents? This is impossible! _Just as the guard leveled his pistol, Leon wrapped his arm around her, ready just in time for the harness to be pulled up. Her body was surprisingly solid and compact, compared to how weak she appeared from the outside. _Snug, would be the way to describe it, I think, _he considered. _Damn you Leon, only you could be thinking about girls at time like this, _he thought to himself.

"Pull us up!" she repeated again. This time, Leon felt a quick jolt, as Sarah sped up quickly. The ground below them quickly disappeared, and they were jolted up through the hole in the glass that her grand entrance had created. _Wait, who pulled us up? _As Sarah swung them onto the roof, Leon looked and saw where they had hastily set up a crude pulley system. Holding the rope, was Tres.

"Up there!" a voice shouted from the street. Soon, the street shone white with repeated muzzle flashes as they opened fire on the small group without hesitation. Tres walked into the fire, pulling out his duel pistols, and aiming them forward with surgical precision. Standing with his cape whirling around him and silhouetted in the streetlight, he looked like the Grim Reaper. _Though, I'd pick Tres over the Grim Reaper any day. _

"Not authorized to fire on Vatican personnel," Tres stated, holding his pistols at a ready position. A few moments later, as if in response to what Tres had said, another discharge sounded from the street, striking him in the shoulder.

"Taking malicious fire from friendly forces. Will take the appropriate measures." _He was waiting to get hit so that he could shoot back, _Leon realized. Tres swung his pistols wide as if he were reaching out to embrace someone, but then he began to fire, aiming first for the targets on his flanks. Spinning his arms around with perfect control, he varied their speed so that each shot would hit its mark. The shots were so well-timed that the dancing flashes flickered like a strobe light across his emotionless face. Watching Tres work was like watching a painter casting swathes with his brush, or a violinist in the middle of a breathtaking movement. Twenty rounds later, Tres lowered his guns, and the juxtaposed silence sent a familiar chill down Leon's spine. "Clear."

"He's really quite a guy isn't he, Leon?" Sarah asked with her fragile lips turned up in a devilish smile, unstrapping herself from the harness. Leon was too shocked for words. She was wearing a skin-tight outfit which fit against her like a glove. Also, she had taken the tie out of her hair, which was now draped over her face like a veil.

- - - -

_(Inside the Royal palace of Albion) _

"What is the meaning of this?" Esther demanded, clutching her bleeding face. Her eyes narrowed sharply on her captor, and her hands clenched together in frustration.

"I said shut up!" The man yelled, hitting her again. Esther felt the hardness of his elbow as it jammed into her throat. She grasped her neck, feeling the air rushing through, but what she had intended to be a scream came out as a series of dry chokes. Sticky blood ran down her gashed forehead, finding its way into her eyes. _Frank... James... I had just learned their names! _

Her bodyguards had been with her when it happened, watching and protecting her. _Why must so many people die for me?_ She started to tear up, but she couldn't tell if it was the blood that was getting into her eyes or the memories of how James had thrown himself in front of her when the gunman appeared. Despite their efforts, the gunman was out of their class. He shot them both dead in under a second. _Why am I still alive? _She had fought him, hitting him as hard and as fast as she could, but he simply dodged her attacks, and threw her, punching a hole in the wall with her head.

She felt a sudden rush of pain, and she realized that she had been holding her fist so hard that her nails had broken the skin of her palm. Blood spilled down her hands and mingled with her fingers, dripping to the floor. Still unable to speak, Esther tried to get up, still clinging to the fragile hope that she could escape from the room. The guard, however, kicked her back down to the ground, and began to roughly gag her. She kicked and scratched, but nothing seemed to dull his resolve. Finished, the gunman got up, and gave her another kick, and this time she could not even gasp. Only a small rush of air escaping her nostrils indicated her pain. Her arms and legs were now bound, and she was completely helpless. The ropes crushed against her skin like a cobra preparing to squeeze the life out of its prey.

She could not tell how long they stayed there after that. She measured the time by the people rushing past the door to try to find her, shouting out orders and yelling obscenities. _If only I weren't so weak, _she thought, struggling desperately again, only to feel him give her another kick to her already tender side.

But then something happened. The door opened, and someone walked in. She couldn't see who it was, but by the sound of the footfalls, she judged that the person was light, and graceful. _A woman? Someone here to save me? _

"Master," her captor greeted respectfully, kneeling. _It couldn't be... no please, let it be someone else. Please, anyone but him! _But in her heart, she knew who it was.

"Esther..." Dietrich said gently, walking closer. She renewed her efforts to squirm away, rubbing her raw wrists against the ropes that the gunman had fastened on her. "I'm really hurt that you would be so unhappy to see me after all we've been through together..." he whispered, trailing his finger through her hair. "I knew all along... that you were the star..." Esther threw herself against her restraints as hard as she could, wanting to get far away from Dietrich. _If I knew that you were here, I would have gone to the other end of the world!_ But she only managed to turn herself onto her back, looking up at him... her old friend, and her new worst enemy. He smiled childishly, brushing the hanging hair from his eyes.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. I'm not going to kill you Esther! I'm just going to give you a little guidance." Laughing, he reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small pill. "Open up..." He talked to her like she was a child refusing to eat her oatmeal.

Esther fought, trying to angle her head back down, but she didn't get far before two solid arms grasped her head, making any struggle impossible. Dietrich pried her jaw open, and stuck the small black pill into the back of her mouth, Esther tried to spit it out, but he jammed her raw throat with his fist, and she instinctively swallowed and felt it slowly disappear down into obscurity, absorbed by her body.

Dietrich waited a few moments, silent, and Esther sat silent as well, awaiting the effects of Dietrich's drug. It seemed like an eternity, waiting there and watching his malevolent face smiling over her in anticipation.

He untied her bonds, and took off her gag, but Esther's voice would not respond. She felt the sensation of forcing her voice to speak, to say... anything, but her body did nothing. Suddenly, something happened that she did not expect. Her lips curved up in a sinister smile. She could feel her muscles engaging, but she had no control over them. She tried to straighten her face, but nothing happened. It was if she was possessed.

Then, something seized control of her legs, and she rose. _I have... no control. _She tried to dig in her heels, or collapse, or even to raise her hands, but nothing was responding. Only her brain seemed like it was still working correctly.

Esther's possessed feet walked towards the one thing that Esther wanted to be away from the most. She walked towards Dietrich, who still had the same sinister smile painted over his face. _I can't even close my eyes, _she thought sorrowfully, but she could not cry either. "I love you Dietrich," she heard herself mutter. _What is going on?_

"I know you do, Esther," Dietrich replied. Fighting with all her will, Esther regained control for a split second, but it ended just as quickly as it came. She felt every movement as she leaned in, and kissed him on the lips. _This is so wrong. _Dietrich's mouth opened accommodatingly, and Esther's mouth began to kiss him greedily, running her hands through his hair. _I hate you! I will never forgive you for this, you bastard! _

Then, she pulled away, but she still had no control. Her hand had grasped something while she kissed Dietrich. _A pistol? _"Your usefulness to me has run dry," Esther heard herself say, aiming the gun at the man who had captured her. Even though it was her voice, it sounded alien to her... evil and dark.

"No please, master, I will..." She shot him through the head, ending his plea, and then she began to laugh as his body slumped to the ground. _You wont fool anyone! You're nothing like me! _"But I'm just like you," Esther's mouth said. "I am you."

- - - -

_(At a checkpoint north of Rome) _

_I am gone for just a few months, and this is what Rome is like when I get back? _Hugue thought to himself, as he stood. They had pulled him aside, delaying him despite the fact that he had asked to see the Cardinal. _Havel told me that I needed to see her soon... that the city was under attack, but that was a while ago. The battle appears to have come and gone. _As usual, he had taken his time in arriving.

The woman finally reappeared from the small checkpoint. Smiling, she had long blond hair, similar to his, but much cleaner. "So you want to see the Cardinal?" she asked, guiding herself down into a small bench. Not liking to repeat himself, Hugue nodded. "What business do you have with her?" She was wearing a military uniform, and it didn't suite her. The black-clothed fabric seemed to be made for a man, and it didn't look like her boots fit.

Sighing, Hugue turned to the city and began to walk through the checkpoint. _I have no time for this._ "Wait a second!" she called out. "Wait! You can't go there, you need to pass through the checkpoint." _Watch me, _Hugue thought. She grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to a stop. _Persistent little girl, but I can't wait around. I have things to do, and I need to get this over with. _

Turning, he decided to give her one last chance. "Make it quick," he said coldly.

"Are you a member of AX?" she asked, something in her eyes warned Hugue, but he decided to proceed.

"Yes," he said simply, turning back towards the city.

"Then you're clear to go," she said. A small overtone of nervousness accompanied her statement, and then Hugue heard the draw. He twisted backwards, twirling his staff upwards as he spun, knocking the pistol from her grip, and into the air, where he caught it with his free hand. She stood there, stunned, with her hands still in place, gripping a now-absent pistol. Clouds blocked out the sun, draping the world momentarily in darkness.

"What...? How?" she stammered.

"Your cloth holster isn't soft enough. I heard the barrel scratch against the material," Hugue explained. "You should probably get a better holster if you want to draw without someone hearing it." He slipped the pistol back into her holster, grabbed her hand, and directed it to slide it out again more carefully. This time it was completely silent. "Yes, there it is."

"Thank you... but how can you trust me with this after I just aimed it at you?" she questioned.

"You didn't put a bullet in the chamber," he replied coolly, holding up her mag. "And I took your mag. You're disarmed, and besides, I'm not here to beat up naive girls. I'm here to meet the Cardinal."

She blushed, looking down at the ground. "We've been ordered to kill all members of AX on sight. I'm sorry, you seemed nice enough..." _It looks like the pistol isn't the only thing I disarmed. Fact is, I wasn't nice to her at all. Or perhaps she thinks I'm going to kill her and is trying to make nice at the last moment. _

"Where is Caterina?" Hugue questioned.

"She's in the dungeon below the palace. The one where they keep the serial murderers and heretics." _So it's begun... _Hugue turned towards the city, and began to calmly walk forward. The great walls loomed in the distance, and each tower poked out like a silent guardian, somber and battle-scarred.

"Wait! If you go in there... you'll die!" she called after him.

"Does that matter to you?" Hugue asked. She watched him walk away in silence.

- - - -

Ion entered the small waiting room. He had made sure to wear his best clothes: a small cap and a dark maroon colored silk shirt that reminded him of Esther's hair when he had bought it. _So this is where Esther has been living... _he looked around, seeing the flowers adorning the many ornate tables, and portraits of previous Queens and Kings. Strangely, the palace reminded him of his own house, that he had spent so much time away from during the last few days. Only one thing kept him from returning home after the battle. _Esther, I sleep without thinking of you. _

He sat down, and began to move nervously. It had been a very long time since his eyes had last been able to see her beautiful face. Moving around again, he heard something rip, and looked down. His face reddened realizing, that he had accidentally torn his pants against a wood engraving.

As he waited, he heard the door open, and turned to see Abel walk in, covered with dried blood. Their eyes met, and they both thought the same thing. "What are you doing here!" they both exclaimed in unison.

"I was sent her by the Empress, on a mission!" Ion lied.

"AX... sent me here to see Esther!" Abel retorted.

"You liar! I was with you when you decided to go to Albion! What are you still doing here? Half of AX thinks you're dead!" Ion snapped back.

"Caterina sent me here. The other members weren't told," he defended.

"You lie like a rug!"

"Oh yeah, well I know that you couldn't have gone to the empire and gotten orders and came back so fast! Why are you here?"

"I have orders!"

"Oh, where are they then?" Abel questioned.

"We don't carry them around with us!"

"Sure... sure... well, in any case, I'm going to see Esther first!" Abel said, crossing his arms across his chest.

"What? In that state? Besides, I was here first!" Ion shouted.

Abel looked down, seeing his blood spattered coat. "It's just a little bit of blood, and besides, look!" he replied, pointing to Ion's torn pants. "Your pants are all torn up, and I've been in Albion longer, Esther will see ME first!"

"A little bit of blood? You're still bleeding!" Ion shouted, pointing to his shoulder, which was still dripping blood.

Abel covered it up with his hands. "Am not!"

"Both of you, be quiet!" Ion stopped his mouth in mid shout, as he turned in surprise.

"ESTHER!" He cried out joyfully, throwing himself at her. He hugged her urgently, so happy that he was close to tears. "I promised that I'd see you again, some day, remember!" He glanced up, not hearing her respond, and looked into her face. It was as beautiful as ever, but it seemed like the joy had been sapped out of her, and only darkness remained in her soft features. "You've changed..." Ion whispered. The embrace suddenly felt awkward.

- - - -

_(In the Cardinal Assembly) _

"I have grave news for all of you!" Francesco announced to the room, silently listening to what he had to say. "Our worst fears have been confirmed. I know that you all have been notified of the Pope's sickness, and his inability to attend our great assembly, but you may have wondered why we did not go into specifics."

The crowd listened attentively, eating up every word he spoke. "Well, we got the bad news today. The Pope has contracted vampirism. He killed my sister, Caterina earlier today as she tried to tend to him." The assembly seemed to gasp collectively, and they exchanged worried glances. "We knew it earlier, but we had hoped to cure the Pope by draining the infected blood. I thought it would be best if we didn't say anything until we were completely sure of his condition, but now it's too late... we have no choice. We cannot have a vampire Pope... we have to do something..."

On cue, one of his supporters shouted, "we already have a Pope! Francesco is our Pope!"

Francesco grimaced, hiding his smile. "But I'm not the Pope, I'm only the temporary Pope... I couldn't possibly..."

"Elect Francesco as the new Pope!" another one of his pets shouted. A wave of cheers began to wash the hall.


	23. Chapter 7: Section 2

Trinity Blood: The Second Coming

**Chapter 7- On the Other Hand... **

**Section 2- Normality**

Note: Well, I know this has come a bit later than my usual updating speed, but in my own defense, it requires a ton of mental fortitude to write at this pace, and I will write as fast as I can, because I really enjoy how much u guys like it and respond to it.

_(In a safe-house in southern Rome) _

Leon lay face down, with a wet rag clenched between his teeth. "Hold him down," Tres instructed. Sarah did as he said, forcefully driving her arms into Leon's sides and preventing him from moving, and he could swear he felt a finger tickle him on his underbelly. He squirmed slightly.

"Remain still," Tres ordered, retracting his hand to make sure that Leon was ready. When Leon stopped moving, Tres carefully directed the sterilized metal clamps down, and with precise movements, entered them into the wound without touching the tender sides.

"I stuck with Tres after you left to sort out the business with Caterina," Sarah whispered. _Well, that explains one thing, but since when did you become a commando? I thought you were just another innocent little girl. _Leon still couldn't figure it out, but the time for questions would come later.

_Shot in the back while running away... this is great. _Tres had taken care of the shooter after Leon had been hit, but they still had to hike another mile to get to the safe-house, while also avoiding detection. In one instance, Tres had actually stuffed him into a trash can. _I still smell like garbage._ After they had arrived, Tres hastily began the surgery.

Tres' prongs felt around for the bullet, probing the wound gingerly. Although Tres was an excellent surgeon, there was still a great deal of pain. Leon bared his teeth and growled softly. He could feel the metal in his body, pressing out on his flesh, while the burning sensation of the bullet began to flare up. Tres finally found the bullet, and gripped it with the prongs. As Tres began to extract it, Leon groaned out loud, feeling his torn mussel and stringy flesh, which had grown accustomed to the bullets presence, either be forced away, or ripped. Tres pulled the metal slag out of Leon's flesh, so only a feeling of emptiness remained, and a deep throbbing pain.

Tres observed the bullet, examining to make sure that it was all there. "Foreign body has been removed," he said simply, dropping the bullet to the ground.

"Tres, you go stand guard outside, I'll wrap his wounds," Sarah called out. Tres stood still for a moment, processing the request.

"Positive." _Finally, I can have a chance to find out just what is going on! _Leon thought.

"I thought I'd be rescued, but I never imagined that you would...," Leon began. He felt a freezing cold, circular sensation on the side of his head from the metal of a gun barrel, and heard the click as it was cocked. "Sarah?" Leon whispered shakily.

"Quiet," she hissed.

- - - -

_(In the Royal Palace of Albion) _

The dining room was much quieter than Abel would have predicted. He sat next to Ion, at the end of the long table across from Esther, a compromise settled after a brief argument over a favorable seat on Esther's right-hand side.

Abel looked up at Esther, to find her staring back at him. He glanced back down immediately. _What's wrong? What was it in her eyes just then? _Abel could barely recognize it. He thought about it as he wrung his hands under the table nervously. The whole atmosphere seemed much darker since he had returned. _Something has changed. _

"So what's for dinner?" Abel said softly, hoping to break the ice.

"You'll see soon enough," Esther replied, with just a hint of distaste. _What's happened to her? Is she still angry at me? _Any chance of conversation was shattered.

Sure enough, Abel detected the hint of a delicious aroma leaking in from the hallway, and the soft raps as a servant walked stiffly, carrying... "Marinated chicken!" Abel exclaimed. His mouth began to preemptively salivate, as his concerns over Esther evaporated, surpassed by something much more important. The silver platter approached Abel at a tantalizingly slow pace, and he began to rock in his chair. _Faster faster faster... Oh god, how long has it been since I ate?_

To his despair, it was set down in front of Ion first. Ion's well-polished table manners didn't help things, as he slowly put his napkin on his lap, produced the silver instruments to begin carving. Abel's stomach almost lurched out of his body, demanding food in one urgent contraction. The saliva was getting dangerously close to slipping from Abel's open mouth. "Ion... can you pass the chicken!" Abel inquired at a near-shout.

"Wait your turn, Abel," Ion admonished. Abel squirmed, and then the fumes reached his nostrils with a vengeance, making it so he could almost taste the tender meat already. Taking action, he grabbed his salad fork and lunged over the table, spearing the largest piece of chicken he could find. Sprawled out on the table, he began to bring the choice-piece back to his plate.

"Abel!" Esther shouted. Her voice was so cold that Abel dropped his fork into his cup of wine, and looked up in utter surprise. "take control of yourself!"

Looking down in shame, he fished the chicken from his wine cup, and took a small bite. He quickly took another, much larger bite and began to chew quickly, humming appreciatively. Pausing for a second as he analyzed the taste in his mouth, he dipped the chicken back into the wine and took another bite. As he munched happily away, his eyes glanced up again, looking at Esther's cold stare. _Predatory? _He could swear that he'd seen the exact expression before.

- - - -

_(In the fields north of Rome) _

Markizan gasped as yet another blow fell upon him. This time, the hook pierced his rib-cage, and broke a bone on the way out, exposing his pearly white bone to the air. But this obstruction delayed Astaroshe's withdrawal of her own spear into a defensive posture, and he struck back at her exposed side.

She withdrew, clutching her bleeding stomach. Markizan took the time to lean against his spear, spitting out a glob of thick blood. Astaroshe raised her spear again. "This is a death-match. Can you fight to your last breath?" she asked between gasps for air.

"Can you?" he asked raggedly.

She struck again, considerably weaker than her attacks before, but Markizan was finding his parries more sluggish as well. She jabbed low, Markizan lunged after it. She flipped her back-end up, it was heading towards his head. _Can't lift it fast enough, my arms are too heavy! _He thought as he tried to drag his spear into defensive stance from the low position she had forced it in.

He still had another foot to go when the heavy end smashed into his skull. Surprisingly, as he sunk to the ground, he only felt a slight burning sensation. Hot blood ran down his scalp, slipping over his face, but he could barely feel it. His head swam with bright light, although it was still dark. _This is it. The family legacy, and its shame ends with me. _

"You lasted longer than I thought," was the last thing he heard before he blacked out.

- - - -

_(In the streets of Rome) _

"Stop immediately!" another one shouted. Soon after, another shot rang out. Wordsworth began to panic. They were in an alley of narrow dimensions. Only one person could pass at a time. _Yet we need to use it. I need to give it to Hugue. I should be glad he's behind me. If not, he'd probably be gone by now. _

"Hugue!" Wordsworth exclaimed, tossing him a large box with wires running out of it, and a large open dish on the top.

Hugue caught it, and looked down. "What is it?" he asked, with a voice so low that Wordsworth could barely hear it. _It's a surprise he can see it with all that blond hair whipping around him. _

"Just aim and fire!" Wordsworth answered. He jumped over a large box, almost tripping, Hugue followed, hopping over it like it was nothing, and turned around, aiming the box... in the wrong direction.

"DON'T!" Wordsworth shouted, but it was too late. Hugue fired, but the dish was pointing towards them, not away. Booming noise issued from the device, echoing off the walls of the narrow alley.

Collapsing, Wordsworth tried to overcome the pain as quickly as possible. Even Hugue hit the ground. "What did the damn thing do?" he growled.

"You fired it in the wrong direction!" Wordsworth whispered back, his ears were still ringing painfully loud.

"Why did you have to give me this lousy thing!"

"It did work, didn't it?"

"That's not the point!"

- - - -

_(Above the Adriatic Sea) _

"We'll say this only one more time!" the menacing voice announced over coms. "You are ordered by the Pope to ground your ship immediately, and put yourself into our custody. Failure to do so will be interpreted as an act of treason!" _Put myself in their custody? That'd be difficult. _

This had all overwhelmed Kate Scott. The fog had prevented her from assisting in the battle, and many of the airships had been grounded because of a Contra Mundi infiltrator had disabled their systems. _And after the battle... _Kate shuddered. She knew that the power struggle was getting more intense, but she had never anticipated something like this.

"Last warning!" the threatening voice said again. _If I go down, I'm done for. They'll dispose of me just like the others. _So Kate did the only thing that she could.

"Stop! You've been ordered to stop!" the voice shouted frantically, but Kate paid them no heed. The Iron Maiden flew forward, directly towards the ships poised to strike her, and directly away from Rome.

Weapon's fire issued from the ships, but they struck harmlessly off of the Maiden, and as she accelerated, they scrambled to get out of her way. _My journey doesn't end here_. But as she sped away from Rome, she picked up one last message.

Decelerating immediately, she turned the proud prow of her ship back to the distant mainland. _This changes everything... _

- - - -

_(In a dungeon below the Vatican) _

_He's lasted longer than I thought, _Caterina thought miserably. Alessandro writhed in agony, baring his elongated teeth, screaming out for blood, but he resisted. _He has gained some mental fortitude lately. _"I can't hold back much longer!" he screamed, making Caterina shiver. _He must be in so much pain... _

- - - -

Roooarrr! I need a break! Ughh! I've written probably 160 pages (cant count). Sorry everyone who's really anticipating the new chaps, but I need to take a breather here. If I post it'll be much slower than before. I need to get my energy back.


	24. Chapter 8: Section 1

Trinity Blood Part Two: Shattered Uniformity

Note: Hey, I know this came really late, and I'm sorry if I really kept anyone waiting too long. I really just needed a bit of a break from writing tis all.

Note: The Jacob that is mentioned, the father, and the "gang" that surrounds them is, in fact, the same people from the first chapters, who were eventually attacked by Abel and Ion.

**Chapter 8: This Deadly World**

**Section 1: A Raspy Breath **

_(The Vampire residential complex in Londinium) _

"This is a restricted sector," the clueless guard announced, eying them curiously. His terminal separated the group from the clustered houses in the middle of the city. The vampires had been granted permission to dwell above-ground ever since negotiations had resumed. _Vampires... among us. Soon the government will be feeding us to indulge their unsatiable appetites. _

The band of five men waited, watching to see what their leader would do. _We're not terrorists yet, _Jacob thought, holding the gun as his father had instructed. He kept it well-hidden in a small brown bag, and his sweaty finger trembled against the slick trigger. _Yet only an inch separates us from terrorists and normal citizens. _

"So, they have our own citizens guarding those... vampires from judgement?" Jacob's father questioned gruffly.

"I just do what I'm told," the guard replied. Sensing that something was awry, he reached for his side-arm.

"Jacob!" his father shouted sharply. Jacob closed his eyes, and pulled as hard as he could against the slippery trigger. It was surprisingly easy to do, and as he felt the mechanism release the tension and slip back, clicking in place. _BLAM! _The guard was hit in the shoulder, and fell backwards, dazed.

Delirious with the shock of being shot, his hands clumsily tried to release his pistol from his holster. _It was me... _Jacob thought dreamily. _I shot him. _Jacob stood still, feeling the implications of what he had done wash into him, sweeping away any resolve that he had gotten from his father.

Jacob's father, however, had no regrets, and when the guard tried to raise his pistol, he stepped onto the guard's shoulder, aggravating the recent wound to the point where the guard dropped his gun and began to gasp in pain. "You're a traitor to all of mankind," he spat, putting more weight onto his malicious foot.

The guard looked up, seeing the gleam in his eyes. "You're insane," he muttered.

"I'm the only sane one. The world's insane," Jacob's father grabbed the pistol from the ground, and pointed it downward. "You had your chance," he said, firing again. The guard's tensed muscles loosened at once as his body melted against the ground. A small metallic click sounded when the wedding ring on his finger slumped to the ground.

He turned around. Blood had splattered onto his face. "We only have a few minutes before they realize what's going on. That should be plenty enough time to accomplish our objective, and get out of here."

Pulling out the bags of home-made packed explosives, the group set up the small device next to the largest of the living residences they could find. Before they set the fuse, Jacob's father picked up a small piece of asphalt, and dragged it across the cement sidewalk.

_ADF... that stands for the Albion Defender's Front, _Jacob recalled.

"What are you doing?" a meek voice called out from behind them. It was a small girl, peering up at them with child-like, fearless eyes. _By God's will, we purge these creatures. The servants of darkness shall not be allowed to live. _

"Restoring the balance," Jacob said, he pulled the pistol from the bag and fired.

As they began to rush out, Jacob's father paused and looked back, watching the explosion. "Our actions will be but a raspy breath in a world hungering for air, but when man realizes that he can breathe, the tide of those who fill their lungs with righteousness will sound off louder than the grandest church bell."

- - - -

_(In a safe-house in southern Rome) _

"Sarah, what's going on?" Leon asked. His tone was demanding, but he was more hurt than anything else. _I found this little girl behind enemy lines in Northern Italy... I protected her thinking that I was doing the wrong thing, and now she has a gun pointed to my head... what's going on? _

"Please Leon," she whimpered softly. "Please be quiet." Leon could tell that this was difficult for her. _But what is compelling her to do this? _

"Are you Contra Mundi?" Leon questioned.

Her silence affirmed his fears. He looked out of the window, Tres was just outside.

"I..." she paused, jamming the pistol harder against his head. "I... can't." The pistol stayed pressed against his head, but not with the pressure that she had applied before.

"Why?" Leon asked in a hushed tone.

"They met me just after we got into the city... told me that AX was in shambles, and to eliminate all contacts, but I..." She stopped. There was a loud crash as Tres smashed the door down with a solid kick. His pistol was aimed with the usual precision.

"Tres!" Leon shouted. Tres pulled the triggers on his leveled pistols, firing four shots into Sarah's body. "Stop!" Tres ceased firing as soon as he processed the command, but it was too late. Sarah slumped over him, with blood seeping from multiple wounds.

"Target neutralized," Tres said. There was no satisfaction, and no remorse, just a emotionless shell. Leon fought back his tears. _She could have been my daughter... she was someone's daughter. _

- - - -

_(In a dungeon underneath the Vatican) _

Wordsworth and Hugue walked softly over the rock floor, sticking to the shadows as much as they could. Surprisingly soon, they reached the lowest level. "This is most likely where they're detaining her," Wordsworth whispered. Hugue nodded.

They crept past a lone, sleeping guard, and made their way towards the cell in the back. But then, the guard woke up. "Hey! You two!" the guard shouted. Hugue reached for his staff, but Wordsworth grabbed his hand.

"Let me handle this," he whispered. Wordsworth turned around confidently.

"A lone, slumbering guard! I thought that I'd see some bad guarding, but nothing like this! I'm Wordsworth from the Vaticanoral... Investigatory commission, and we've been sent on a routine check of this facility."

"Really?" the guard questioned.

Wordsworth narrowed his eyes, pulling out a small Vatican ID. Covering up the AX insignia, he flipped the ID open and showed it to him briefly before hastily putting it back in his pocket. "This is most possibly the worst prison I've ever seen!" Wordsworth commented, looking around. "There's dirt all over the floor... some blood. Does this facility adhere to the sanitation codes?" He grimaced, seeing a pile of puke in the corner.

"Sanitation codes?" the guard asked, now quite scared.

"Yes, the damn sanitation codes, are you some kind of idiot! Do you even know where the keys are located in this dump?" Wordsworth questioned.

"Uh, yeah, they're right here." The guard rushed over to his desk, opening the drawer and pulling the keys out. He set them on the table, grinning triumphantly.

"Good lord, what is that?" Wordsworth exclaimed, pointing behind the guard. There was nothing there except for a normal wall, but the guard fell for it, looking around stupidly. Wordsworth grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall. "Sorry about that," he whispered, pulling the limp body under the desk.

"Good work," Hugue muttered, grabbing the keys off of the desk. Finished, Wordsworth accompanied him to the farthest cell.

"Cardinal... Caterina?" Wordsworth asked, appalled. There, in the corner of the cell, the Pope was sucking the Cardinal's neck, who was flailing weakly. They were both covered with gore and mud.

- - - -

_(In the Vatican) _

Astaroshe was in no mood to negotiate. _Someone needs to drag Markizan's good-for-nothing honor-stripped body back to his island. _"All I need is an airship," Astaroshe repeated.

Francesco, flanked by dozens of guards, was not impressed. "The Vatican is under new leadership. We no longer negotiate with your kind."

"My kind? If you haven't noticed, the 'invading army' has returned home. I'm no threat to you." Astaroshe stated.

"Hmm..." Francesco began... smiling maliciously. "A spy from the New Human Empire gets caught while trying to assassinate the new Pope of Rome. How does that sound General Christianson?"

A richly-adorned general stepped forward, chuckling. "Sounds great." He hefted a large weapon, aiming it at Astaroshe. The rest of the room cocked weapons of their own.

"You're coming with us. Looks like you and Caterina are going to be able to negotiate your own peace treaty in the dungeon together."

"You wouldn't dare! The New Human Empire..."

"Is a plague to this world, and with God's help, it will be more of a trash heap than an empire in the next few years," Francesco snarled.

- - - -

_(In the Royal Palace of Albion) _

"That was an excellent meal, I thank you for your hospitality," Ion said with a smile. _Esther... I so need to talk with you alone. It's been so long... _

"Ion?" Esther asked softly. Ion's heart raced, as he smiled broadly.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Can you leave Abel and I alone for a few minutes," Esther said. Ion's heart sank, and his joy turned into rage in a brief moment, but he hid his feelings.

"Yeah... that's fine," Ion muttered, walking briskly out of the room.

Abel noticed how hurt Ion was by the suggestion, and looked over at Esther questioningly. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

Esther's eyes flashed that dark look again, just for a fraction of a second, but it soon disappeared, leaving only a warm smile. "Ever since what happened, I've been thinking about you, Abel," Esther stated. She walked towards him, leaning right in to his lips.

Abel squirmed away. He didn't know exactly what it was, but there was something wrong with Esther. "I'm sorry Esther," Abel mumbled.

"Oh, well you don't need to worry about being sorry about anything!" Esther hissed, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Really, I..." he began.

"Get out!"

Abel, widened his eyes in shock, and almost tripped over his chair as he raced to the exit. "I'm sorry!" he called through the doorway.

Ion entered through the same door that Abel left with. "What happened?" Ion asked with concern.

"You were listening in on us the whole time, weren't you?" Esther questioned. Ion blushed bright red. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. Here, come have a seat, we should really have a talk."

- - - -

_(In an air patrol rout in the ocean south of Albion) _

"Fire when ready!" the major announced.

"Sir... this isn't right. We were told explicitly not to fire upon Spanish forces. It was an order directly from the Queen."

"And we have authorization to attack directly from the Queen!" the major countered, pulling forth a paper with the royal signature. "A lot has been changed in foreign policy recently. The Queen's finally decided to mobilize our military, and not a second too soon sais I."

"God help us," the gunner said before pulling the trigger. The airship opened fire with it's guns, strafing the Spanish patrol boats. It wasn't long before the Spanish forces began to return fire.

- - - -

_Something is really wrong with Esther! _Abel thought, as he left. He managed to sneak a plate of food out underneath his cloak. _You never know when you'll get hungry. _Seeing a servant pass by, Abel held out the tray. "Want some peaches?" the servant turned the other way and started walking.

"Fine, I guess I'll have to eat them all." Abel began to munch on the fruit, when he remembered what had been the strangest part of the meal. The one thing that had alerted him to the strange situation. _Something is DEFINITELY GOING ON HERE! _

His tea had come without any sugar. Abel shook his head in horror.


	25. Chapter 8: Section 2

Trinity Blood Part Two: Shattered Uniformity

Note: No reviews... that just makes me sad. Reviews are funnn!

**Chapter 8: This Deadly World**

**Section 2: Terrible Posture**

- - - -

_(In the Royal palace in Albion) _

"I'm so glad that I finally got the chance to speak with you, Esther!" Ion's chest was on fire. He felt stupid, not knowing what to say. Everything had gone so much smoother in his mind, but now that he was actually talking with her, he was practically choking.

Esther started in a chair next to him, but she had leaned closer. His keen nostrils were afire with the smell of her perfume, making him dizzy.

"Speak? Just speak?" Esther asked, locking eyes with him. Ion looked away almost immediately. _Is it that I'm not brave enough to look her in the eyes? _Just weeks ago, Ion had been brave enough to charge headlong into a horde of enemies, but all it took was one look from those sparkling eyes to unnerve him. He forced himself to look up again.

"I...," Ion's mind went blank for a moment, his body froze in indecision. "I'm glad that I could see you," Ion's scrambled mind couldn't think straight.

"What about touch? Would you be glad to touch me as well?" Esther asked. Ion was too shocked to respond. He resisted the urge to pinch himself as he felt Esther's hand running along his wrist, and up his arm. _I never imagined that she would... _Ion closed his eyes, and gave in. As soon as his eyes closed, Esther grinned maliciously and leaned in for a kiss.

- - - -

_(The Spanish Embassy in Albion) _

_Outrageous! _The Spanish ambassador rushed through his belongings, only taking what was most important to him. _To believe that this would happen... after the Queen pleaded so innocently for peace... and we were so close to peace as well. _The news of the sea massacre had spread quickly. First, through rumor, and then, by the newspapers themselves. And that was the most disturbing part.

The newspapers heralded the victory as a triumph for Albion. Although, it said that the Spanish patrol-boats were the ones who shot first, they did not hide the fact that the Spanish had lost forty men in the engagement; Albion, only one. Now, he was going to get out of Albion as quickly as possible, before things got messy.

"Did you get the flag?" the ambassador asked, stuffing his bag.

"No," his assistant admitted.

"Go get it!" the ambassador shouted. She almost jumped hearing the severity of his voice. _It's the stress, it's making me nervous. _Remembering one last thing, he grabbed a small pistol from his drawer. _Can never be too safe... _

"Mr. Baldamero, there's something you should see!" his assistant called out.

"Not now. I'm busy!" he shouted back. There was the sound of something outside, like a roar. _What was that? _

"Mr. Bladamero! Look outside!" he pulled back the shades on his window, and almost dropped his bag when he saw what was outside. "There must be hundreds of them..." he whispered in awe. A violent mob had gathered outside of the embassy. The Spanish security guards leveled their weapons as bricks and rocks rained onto their guard-posts.

He picked up the phone that would get him in contact with Albion's government, hoping to talk to the Queen. However, when he picked up the phone, there was no tone. _The phone lines have been cut... _Then, he heard a gunshot. Through the window he saw one of the guards fall to the ground, clutching what was left of the top of his head. The other panicked guards fired into the mob, wounding scores of them. However, the mob had swelled to thousands, and shouting had just become angrier.

The rushed forward all at once, wielding makeshift weapons, and quickly scaled the walls of the embassy. The guards ran, abandoning their weapons, some of them trying to rip off their uniforms, anything that would identify them as a Spaniard. The mob overwhelmed them, beating them to the ground, and falling upon them mercilessly. One rioter pulled down the Spanish flag, and a group of them ripped it to shreds, while another group attached the flag of Albion and hoisted it up in its stead. _Where are the police, where is the army? Has the Queen gone insane?_ He cocked his pistol, and waited for them to bust down the door.

_- - - - _

_(In the deepest dungeon of the Vatican) _

"Help me get the little bastard off of her!" Wordsworth shouted, swinging the rusty door to the cell open. Hugue followed closely behind. Caterina clawed at the ground in front of her, as if she was trying to pull herself away from the lock of his fangs. Hugue grabbed Alessandro firstpulling him by the scalp, and then Wordsworth grabbed his arm, and they both pulled together.

Alessandro's death grip was not so easily broken however, and they had to drag both Caterina and Alessandro halfway across the cell before they got his fangs out. Even then, he clawed with his hands, hissing. One stray flail managed to jab Wordsworth in the eye. "Owww!" Wordsworth yelled, falling backwards.

"I'm sorry," Hugue said. With one glance, Alessandro almost looked as if he knew what was coming, but he made no attempt to dodge it. With one blow to the head, Hugue knocked Alessandro out. _Is she okay?_ Caterina's eyes stared at the side of the cell, almost lifeless.

Still holding his right eye shut, Wordsworth knelt down next to her. "Caterina, we're here to get you out! What should we do now!" She didn't respond. It was as if she didn't even hear him. "Please Caterina, we need to..." Wordsworth stopped. He heard footsteps. Hugue heard it too. It was the unmistakable clinking of metal on stone. Military men were coming down those stairs, and there was only one exit. Hugue gripped his staff, and narrowed his eyes. _We're trapped, _Wordsworth realized. By the sound of it, there was a multitude of men heading towards them.

_- - - -_

_(On a stairwell, heading into the bowels of the Vatican's dungeons) _

Christianson prodded Astaroshe forward with his mailed glove, but despite the colorful remarks he shot Astaroshe's way, he was feeling extremely tense. _She's a New Human Empire representative and noblewoman. If we were to imprison her... it would mean war. _Finally, he could not contain his anxiety. "Francesco, a smattering of brainless vampires is one thing, but the New Human Empire is a completely different story. You couldn't possibly believe that we..."

"I believe," Pope Francesco answered, with a cold sneer. "God is on our side."

"And how many airships will God send to our defense when the New Human Empire decides to scorch the entire Italian peninsula until there's nothing left but a glass sheen. Not only do they have the edge over us in numbers, but also in technology, we couldn't possibly..."

"That's blasphemy! This is the army of God himself!" Francesco warned.

"How do you know, have you spoken to him recently?" Christianson questioned sharply.

"That's quite enough, Colonel Christianson!"

"Colonel? You promoted me to General, remember?"

"I just demoted you. Remember, something that is given can be taken away." Christianson stopped, turning around. "Is there a problem, Colonel?" Francesco questioned, motioning to his guards. The four that were loyal to Francesco raised their guns. Christianson's men only numbered at two.

"No problem," Christianson growled, turning back around.

"I've been far to lenient with you. If he displeases me again, throw him in the dungeon," he said to one of his guards.

"Understood," his guard replied. Astaroshe couldn't help but grin.

- - - -

"Tres, don't stand up so stiffly, hunch yourself over a little bit!" Leon urged, pulling the hood over his unflinching eyes. _He sticks out so badly, if just one halfway competent guard looks this... _

"Hey! You two!" Leon tried to play it off like he didn't hear, guiding Tres in the opposite direction. "... stop! Hey!" _Persistent bastard... _Leon stopped. "Yes, you two, turn around!" Leon put on his best smile, and turned.

"You're the new guys, right?" A chubby, mean-looking man asked them, holding two dirty buckets.

"That's us..." Leon answered. _This is going to be easy! _

"Ok, then grab these," the chubby man said with a mean smile, practically throwing the two buckets at Leon. Leon barely managed to catch them both. "That's the gruel. Bring it into the dungeon." Leon tipped his head down to smell the creamy yellow substance, and quickly pulled it back up again.

"It smells... terrible," Leon gasped.

"Yeah, especially after what we did to it!" the chubby man answered, chuckling and turning around. Leon held the buckets as far away from his nostrils as he could.

"Tres... take this, will ya?" _Now, we have the perfect cover to go and rescue Caterina, and save the day!_

"Acknowledged."

- - - -

_(In the deepest dungeon of the Vatican) _

"Ok Hugue, here's how it's gonna happen. As soon as they come out, you attack them from that side of the door, and I'll attack them from this side, then we grab a gun, and..." Wordsworth stopped, seeing Hugue shoot him a ice-cold look. "What.. What is it? Certainly, I...-,"

"Hey! What was that! There's someone back there!" A muffled voice shouted from the other side of the door. Hugue shook his head at Wordsworth, and then braced himself against the door. The first thump came as one man tried to kick it open, and then a second thump.

"On three!" one of the men on the other side of the door shouted. "ONE..." Hugue backed away from the door and raised his staff at-the-ready. "TWO..." Wordsworth found the unconscious guard's side-arm. "THREE..." with no resistance, the door sprang open, and four very surprised men tumbled through the opening. Wordsworth opened fire, and Hugue lashed out with his staff, until shouts of confusion and anger became whimpers. Wordsworth glanced up, seeing that Francesco was there, accompanied by three other men... with guns. The hallway was too narrow, and their weapons would tear them to pieces if they acted.

"I'm out of ammo," Wordsworth whispered.

"Colonel Christianson, kill them! Kill them all!" Francesco thundered. Christianson raised his opened his mouth to give the order, but he didn't have the chance to speak.

"Colonel Christianson, ignore that unlawful order!" An equally forceful, yet polarly opposite voice called from behind them all. _Caterina... _Wordsworth turned around, watching her stumble, shivering, into the room. Every part of her seemed cold and neglected, except for her eyes. They burned with a fire that Wordsworth had never seen before.

Christianson hesitated, thoughts rushed in his mind. "Christianson! I gave you an order. Now kill them right now, or I'll have you crucified in front of a mob!" Christian's indecisive face turned to a smile.

Behind them all, heavy steps sounded as Tres and Leon appeared, weapons at the ready. "Don't move," Leon growled.

"In the name of the true Pope of Rome..." Christianson paused, raising his eyebrows as he saw Alessandro rush out of the jail cell, frothing at the lips.

"Sorry again," Hugue muttered, smacking him on the head. Alessandro slumped to the ground.

"As I was saying... in the name of the true Pope of Rome, I put you under arrest, Francesco." Having said this, he pointed his gun at Francesco.

"Your loyalty won't be forgotten, General Christianson," Caterina said raspily. Knowing her job was done, she collapsed in exhaustion. Wordsworth and Hugue quickly rushed to assist her.

"You wont... I..." Francesco stumbled to find the words, looking in each direction, and seeing guns pointed at him. "I still have the air force, they can bomb this whole place to hell! You better..."

A small com buried underneath one of Francesco's loyal guards suddenly began to ring with static. "This is the Vatican Air patrol, we have been assaulted by the Iron Maiden II, and we are taking casualties. Requesting authorization to retreat!"

"That Air Force?" Leon asked, smiling broadly.

Francesco's face paled, and he looked nervously down as the static came again. "Taking fire... the Iron Maiden has disabled the engines of all other ships... we're going down... Mayday Mayday!" After that, there was only a loud crash, and then nothing.

"But... Alessandro's a vampire, I'm the Pope, you can't..."

Caterina moved slightly from where she was laying. "No, Alessandro's a Methuselah. You're a vampire, and you've been sucking on the blood of innocent people for long enough with your ceaseless war mongering. I'm just glad you wont be able to make anyone else suffer needlessly when you're locked safely away in a jail-cell."

- - - -

_(In the bedroom of the Royal Palace of Albion) _

Ion lay on his side, running his hands through her smooth, crimson red hair. His nostrils breathed in her strong distinct scent. He beheld her with his eyes, silent, and unable to do justice to the moment with any words. He was completely intoxicated with her. She was glorious before him, shimmering in the light, her creamy skin lightly brushing against his. He shivered, watching her smile. Wanting to never rise from bed again.

"Ion?" Esther whispered softly, running her hands over his bare shoulder.

"What?" Ion whispered shakily.

"I need your help with something..." She averted her eyes suddenly, breaking the fiery gaze which had consumed him for so long. She shivered with something. _Sadness... grief? _

"What is it?" Ion asked, getting closer, wrapping his arms around her, trying desperately to comfort her, make the glimmer re-appear.

"I'm just so ashamed to ask you this," she whimpered.

"Anything! I would do anything for you, Esther," Ion answered.

"I need you to..." she looked over at him, eyes wide with pain. "kill Abel... for me."

_Kill Abel?_ Ion couldn't believe it. "Why?"

Esther began to sob. "He... he..." sniffling, she began to weave her tale.

- - - -


	26. Chapter 8: Section 3

Trinity Blood Part Two: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 8: This Deadly World**

**Section 3: What We Must Do **

Note: For some reason, this chapter was very short. I couldn't really find much to fit in it, without dipping into the next chap...

Note: Dietrich likes Ion. Haha, take that fan-girls! (JK, Dietrich's sexuality is still debatable, maybe he just enjoys the experience of being Esther, and not being with Ion.)

Note: Things have been brightening up a bit lately. I really love all the opportunities I've been getting to incorporate some humor into this fic, which has been very depressing thus far.

_(In the royal Palace of Albion) _

_It's unavoidable. It must be done, _Ion thought, slipping the poison into the steaming cup. Stirring the potent poison, four times more than would be needed to kill a normal person, Ion was finally ready. Like the tea, Ion's mind swirled with the implications of what he was doing.

He approached Abel, with daggers in his smile. "Abel," Ion announced meekly, holding the cup out. Abel sat back in a ornate couch, resting himself on the thick cushions, but at the mention of his name, he snapped to attention.

"Don't tell me!" Abel exclaimed happily, seizing the tea-cup quickly and looking into it. "Tea! How did you know? I was just _dying_ for some!" His brows suddenly furrowed in a serious stare. _Can he tell what's in the tea? Am I that easy to read? _Abel lowered his nose to the steaming tea and inhaled deeply. Once he had taken a sniff of the tea, he thrust it back into Ion's hands.

"How dare you give me this, Ion!" Abel said calmly, as if he had everything under control. _Who am I fooling, he can see right through me... _Ion's hands trembled. He had seen the Krusnik fight, and he knew that if Abel wanted to, he had impale him with a single swing of his giant scythe, tearing Ion's body apart, and spilling his entrails all over the carpet.

"There's no sugar in it!" Abel fumed, shaking his head. "You might as well give me some rocks and grass to gnaw on!"

"Y-yes... of course," Ion said, his smile faltering. Adding sugar until the tea became thick with it, Ion stirred the deadly-sweet mixture for a few seconds, and then gave it back to Abel. _I can't believe he really did that to her... he seems so immature, so kind. _

Smiling happily, Abel raised the tea to his lips. Ion couldn't bear it any longer. "Abel don't!"

Abel lowered the now-empty cup, with a concerned look on his face. "Don't what?" he asked, licking his lips of the last traces of the mixture.

"Don't worry... I'll get you another one," Ion offered up weakly.

"Wow! You're the best!" Ion went into the other room to mix up another cup, adding even more poison. _At least he'll die quickly this way. I don't want him to suffer, no matter what he did to her. _

- - - -

_(In the Papal Palace of the Vatican) _

"I'm sorry Cardinal, it's just that I've never dealt with something of this nature before," the nurse said with a frown.

"It will be easy. Just feed him the blood we've given you until Alessandro becomes his normal self again," Caterina replied sternly. She was still weak from the long grueling confinement, but at least the color had begun to return to her skin.

"It's not that simple, Cardinal," the nurse said softly, looking down. Her statement was reinforced by another half-human shriek sounding from Alessandro's room.

"It's just as simple as it ever was! You've nursed Alessandro when he was sick before, haven't you? Just bring him what he needs, and let him get better!"

The nurse looked up, tears glistening in her eyes. "We've given him more blood than you originally allotted us. He just thirsts... and thirsts! Cardinal, you need to consider that maybe this isn't the same boy that you once knew. Maybe he's become something else. Something vile..."

"You will never address the Pope like that in my presence!" Caterina shouted, making the nurse lower her head in shame. "Do you understand me?" Caterina questioned sharply, her voice cracking. The nurse nodded. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Caterina cried out, this time, tears began to collect in her eyes as well. She looked through the crack of the door, watching Alessandro as he struggled, tied down by a large assortment of straps and dull chains, snarling like a wild animal. _Look what you've done, brother. _

"Cardinal, your speech to the Cardinal assembly will begin in thirty minutes," a messenger announced, hurrying away.

Hearing this, Caterina wiped the tears from her face, and walking up to a mirror, tried to smile. It looked hideously fake. Frustrated, she tried again, but the result was the same._ I guess there will be no smiling in this speech._

- - - -

_(In the human district of Byzantium) _

"Check," the elderly terran said, keeping his eyes narrowed. Seth was in a tight spot; he had preformed impressively well for a terran.

Laughing, Seth weighed her options. "You'll have to let me have the first move next time!"

The old man smiled. "It was you who insisted that you play black, but if you were to insist starting as white next game, who could refuse you?"

"Bishop or knight... bishop or knight," her voice trailed away into a whisper as she tried to find a way out of the mess she had gotten herself into.

"Neither," another voice said from behind her. Seth turned, recognizing the voice, mainly by it's soft maliciousness. "To be defeated by an idiot terran in such a sophisticated game is impossible." Cain leaned over Seth's shoulder, observing the pieces.

"Actually, he's far from an idiot terran," Seth said quietly. It was surprising how much dignity she lost in her brother's strong presence. Cain's eyes scanned the board mechanically, paying no attention, but after almost half a minute, they stopped moving.

"If you find a method of defeating my strategy, I'd be glad to...," the old man began cheerily. However, his words quieted down as Cain raised his hands at the board. With one flex, the pieces, stone, and the old man's near-victory shattered.

"This is what happens when humans assume that they are superior to us," Cain stated matter-of-factly, approaching the surprised old man, trembling with fear on the ground. _Brother... please don't... _Cain raised his hands, and blew off the old man's right arm, and then ripped open his jaw. Shoving the arm into the once smiling and carefree old man's mouth, he turned to Seth with traces of a smile.

"He looks better that way, doesn't he? Like a little monkey." _You're sick. _

"Why are you here," Seth asked coldly. Any chance that she had of passing the incident off calmly had disappeared. Cain had the tendency to destroy something every time he came for a visit.

"Did you think I'd never return? Or maybe... you thought that Abel would kill me!" Cain laughed gently, absent-mindedly brushing his chest with his thumb. "Abel couldn't summon the willpower to swat a fly. But you, you're smarter than him... more loyal. Is your army ready?"

"Yes, just as you asked." Seth replied reluctantly. By this time, Terrans noticed the scene and began to panic.

"When will it march?" Cain pressed, ignoring the panicked yells and shouts around him.

"It will be flown in in a day's time." _God help the Vatican. Abel... if you don't do something soon, all hell will break loose. _

- - - -

_(Spanish war offices in Bilbao, on the coast) _

The skeptical officers seated around Leon eyed him curiously, flipping through his file. They were ornately decorated, the highest brass of the Spanish military. Leon could eyed several general's stars among their ranks.

"So... what did you say you're name was?" one near-bald general inquired, straightening his glasses.

"Leo-, uhm, I mean Lewis!" Leon said choppily, giving them a nervous smile. _Damn it, keep yourself together! _

"Uh-huh. So, Lewis, you survived the attack on the patrol, by..." the general re-read the notice again, to confirm what it said, "swimming twelve miles to the shore?"

"Yes!" Leon spurted out quickly. "If you read it... it sais somewhere on my file that I'm a really good swimmer." The old general looked down and nodded.

"Ok son, what happened out there? Did we shoot first, or was it Albion?" a lower-ranked officer questioned. The interest of the officers was peaked.

"Albion, but I came here directly to you in order to tell you something much more important!" Leon answered.

"Go ahead, soldier."

"We weren't attacked by airships!" the generals eyebrows immediately shot up. Concerned looks came over their wrinkly features. "We were attacked by... some kind of advanced ship. It came up under us, and Whoosh!"

"Whoosh?" the general asked, openly concerned.

"Yeah, like a leviathan, it just sucked the boat down, and in seconds it was underwater... there was explosions, men screaming in pain. I must have been shot by some sort of shockwave about forty feet into the air. Then, this huge sea-vessel-monster came out of the water, and strafed all the men in the water with these huge machine guns, firing bullets the size of my head! The thing was probably three times bigger than this building." The officers exchanged horrified glances.

"Than... this building?" one of the lower-ranked officers whispered questioningly.

"Yeah, it was terrible. I only managed to survive by hiding underneath the body... of my dead best-friend." Leon made a fake attempt at a cry, hiding his eyes behind his hands.

"You've had enough, Lewis. Go home to your family." one sympathetic voice urged.

"Thank you, sir!" Leon said, muffled behind the back of his hand. As soon as he left the room, he reached his hand to the mechanical device in his ear.

"Mission accomplished. The Spanish definitely wont launch a sea attack now. And it's well known that Albion has a superior air-force." _Now, we can only hope that Tres and Hugue do their jobs, and we can keep these two countries from war just long enough to sort this mess out. _

- - - -

_(In the fields north of Rome) _

"Ugh!" Markizan woke up with a start, finding himself in the middle of a green field. Sitting upright, he looked down to see that he had been robbed. Only the staff that he clutched with his hands, and his clothes remained, and even they were in tatters. _That bitch, Astaroshe stashed me here, and let me get robbed. _

He got up, brushing the crusted blood and dirt from his face. Walking south, towards Rome, Markizan made a vow, _When I see her, I'm going to strangle her to death! _

_- - - - _

_(In the assembly meeting of the Vatican) _

"Greeting fellow Cardinals, and members of the Vatican," Caterina announced, sighing and attempting to get her bearings over her slightly slurred speech. "In our enthusiasm, we sometimes allow the core of our beliefs to be swept away in the tides of patriotic fever. This is no fault, and had I been among you in different circumstances, I would have acted in the same manner as you. However, I would like to say that God's light does not shine from bravery in battle, or victory over an enemy. Those things feed from our pride. Instead, God's light shines from acts of kindness, when they are not necessarily beneficial. Charity even to the deepest of enemies." Caterina cleared her throat, hoping that she would not begin to see the eyes of the other Cardinals gloss over.

"This applies to my brother, Francesco, who lied to this assembly, and took actions to imprison myself and the Pope. I would first like to appoint a committee that would inspect the penal institutions in all the Vatican. We are a civilized country, should we not have any excuse for the outrageous conditions found in some prisons. I say this, knowing that this will allow my traitorous brother to stay in conditions better than he allotted for myself."

"As for the Pope..." Caterina paused, trying to stop the tide of tears. _Of all places, please no! _But it was no use, they ran down her face, spilling down past her lips and collecting beneath her jaw. "Excuse me," she whispered, walking off the stage. Behind her, she heard a single clap echoing through the hall, and like a stubborn drip, it continued for almost a minute. Then, another set of hands joined in. As Caterina left the room, a surge of new people lent their hands, until the trickle became a roar.


	27. Chapter 8: Section 4

Trinity Blood Part Two: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 8: This Deadly World**

**Section 4:** **The Price **

Note- It isn't that Esther wants Abel to be killed, it's that Dietrich has taken over Esther's body, and told that to Ion.

Note- What exactly it was that Esther(Dietrich) told Ion is far more effective than that, as both something that happened in the past, and motivates Ion for the future. Killing a friend is something that requires a lot of motivation, remember.

_(In the Imperial Palace of the New Human Empire) _

Seth stood in front of the steamy mirror, dipping her hands a few inches into the dish in front of her. _Abel, what are you doing? If you could only help me with this one thing, none of this would be necessary. _

At least she still had some options. "You summoned me?" _Mirka Fortuna, the Duchess of Moldova. My most trusted advisor, and currently, my only hope. _

"I need you to arrange for something... it will require time in the Vatican, perhaps Albion as well." Seth wiped her cheek, washing off the flakes of dried blood that remained there from the earlier incident in the park.

Even after having just been given a very dangerous assignment, Mirka was ever calm, waiting for further instructions.

Satisfied, Seth continued, "This might be the hardest mission you've ever had to carry out. You will infiltrate the Vatican, and make contact with Astaroshe Asran, the Duchess of Kiev, who is probably now detained somewhere in Rome. From there, you will relay to her these orders: Find Abel Nightroad with all possible haste, and arrange for the fastest possible transportation to Byzantium." Seth picked through her hair, and upon finding a skull fragment, tossed it into the steaming pool.

Mirka Fortuna smirked slightly, nodding gently. "Understood."

Seth called after her as she began to leave, "You'll need to do it before the next new moon."

"That's 36 hours from now." the Duchess of Moldova stated, her voice now edged with the slightest detectable trace of alarm.

A doorway creaked open on the opposite side of the bathing room as an intruder stepped in on the conversation. "36 hours? Didn't lord Cain insist that the attack begin immediately?" Mirka Fortuna narrowed her eyes at the mention of Cain's name. _She probably now understands the gravity of this... or maybe she is just angry that members of Contra Mundi were able to get so close without her realizing it. _

"I'll... get your tea immediately Madame." Lowering her head, the Duchess walked gracefully from the room, her shoes clicking against the stone surface.

The Rozenkruez Orden agent watched her go, and then laughed, his empty and twisted voice sending echos through the hall. "That was no common servant. You just gave her orders, any idiot would know that." He leaned against a monolithic stone pillar next to Seth and patted her on the head. "But don't worry sweetie, we got our people watching all of your 'servants'. The moment she leaves this city, she will find her head quickly disconnected from its neck." Laughing icily, he pushed himself from the pillar lazily and walked back into the shadows. Seth unclenched the miniature fist that she had been keeping at her side, and stretched out each of the fingers. _The fate of the humans... of all of us rests in your qualified hands, Mirka Fortuna. _

"Here you go!" he shouted, throwing a piece of paper in front of her. Seth snapped her eyes up in annoyance. _I thought you left. _

"What is it?"

"That's what you're going to have announced in today's emergency meeting." Seth grabbed it by one curled edge, and pulled it off the wet table before it soaked through. As she read each line, she got more and more upset, until she couldn't stomach it any longer, and threw it onto the ground.

"This will not be read! Not by my order!" she announced.

"It will be read, or Cain will come to this little palace, kill you, and then destroy your pathetic empire, province by province." _Abel, what the hell have you been doing for the last week?_

- - - -

_(Inside the royal palace of Albion) _

_Just a little closer, _Ion thought, holding the dagger stiffly in front of him. Murder written in his eyes, he raised his blade. Closing his eyes, he plunged it downward towards Abel's exposed neck. Inches away, he hesitated, the creamy honed edge of his dagger inches from his skin. Abel smiled in his sleep, and turned his head slightly.

_I gave him so much poison... yet, he didn't even appear to be sick afterwards. Is he some sort of demon that cannot be killed? Is he invincible, a being of such ferocity that the most deadly means of killing are child's play? _"Mmm... Peaches," Abel mumbled in his sleep, licking his lips.

Ion's breathing increased as he prepared himself for the final test. _I guess we shall see. _He raised the blade, took a deep breath, and then put all his strength behind a single downward stab.

"PEACHES!" Abel yelled, still asleep. Ion panicked, recoiling in fear instinctively, and losing his balance, he tripped over a low coffee table.

Falling to the ground, he smacked the back of his head against the leg of a chair opposite from Abel. His vision swam from the percussive impact.

"Ion!" Abel shouted, pulling the small blanket off of his shoulders, and getting out of his chair. _I'm dead... _Ion still held the dagger in its original stabbing position, in plain sight. It was no use trying to hide what Abel had clearly already seen. _He'll rip off my head and then drink my blood!_

"What's that?" Abel questioned, pointing the dagger.

Ion paled. Abel was going to confront him, like one of the tyrants of old times, freshly betrayed, he would exact a confession from him before giving death as a final mercy...

"Oh... I see... it's a gift! You were giving me a gift! It's so nice!" Abel said, seizing the ceremonial dagger from Ion's frozen hands. "You've been so nice lately. You've really matured."

"Uh... thanks Abel."

"No, thank you!" _Time is running out, with each day there is more of a chance that he will discover what Esther and I have shared. And if he discovers our love, my life would be forfeit. _

- - - -

_(In a temporary housing sector in northern Hispania (Spain)) _

_So... bored... _At this rate, Leon's amusement would soon be reduced to thumb-twiddling. The Spanish command structure had bought his story perfectly. Spanish forces didn't even begin to consider moving their forces by boat, the only option they had ever really had.

But this success also brought extreme monotony. He could lay low inside Hispania itself, but if he were to leave the country, he would be spotted by government officials, and the validity of his story might come into question.

_To ensure that this mission succeeds, I'll have to sit here by myself. _

Spring was coming, the heat was getting to him, but the cool air had not yet passed. It was the perfect time to be outside, but he was caged in here, surrounded by cheap curtains and allowed to live on bad milk and crackers.

"Hello? You just moved in, right?" a female voice called out from outside. Leon snapped his head up, alerted that someone was coming that could potentially blow his cover. _A woman... _

Looking out of the front window, he caught sight of her. Short, cute blond hair, radiant smile, and wearing a short red dress. _A beautiful woman. _Leon smiled to himself. _I love trouble. _

Leon prepared himself, and then opened the door. "Hey!"

"That's a wonderful Spanish accent, are you from around here?" she asked with a giggle, brushing a strand of golden hair from her face.

"Let's go somewhere and talk about it!"

- - - -

_(Inside the council chambers of the Vatican) _

"Don't sugar coat, tell it to me as it is," Caterina said coldly, trying to rub the bags out from under her eyes. _If only there was enough time to sleep. _

"First and foremost, the veterans from the New Vatican Army, the ones that were sent out with limited armor, weaponry, and training. Well, needless to say, there were thousands of wounded. Some are missing limbs, some are fighting infection to this very day. The hospitals are overflowing and understaffed." _Well done, brother. _Now, at last, all of her brother's overstuffed beds could be put to use.

"Take all of my brother's holdings and private estates, and turn them into temporary hospitals. The personal bodyguards can serve as the nurses, and my brother's official physician can be the doctor." The thought of one of the hard-nosed, no-nonsense bodyguards becoming a nurse brought a brief smile to Caterina's face, but it would not last long.

"All cities and towns north of Rome have been scorched, if not completely destroyed."

"Demobilize my brother's remaining military force and offer them leadership positions in reconstruction, offer up the plots of land of those who have died in payment for their labor to reconstruct the northern cities and infrastructure."

"Astaroshe Asran... the political prisoner your brother held from the New Human empire..." her messenger announced next, as if reading from a list.

"Release her with my apologies..." _That reminds me... he nearly brought us to war with the Methuselah Empire as well. _

"Will that be all?"

"Yes... no wait!" _Alessandro. "_Please, see if you could get Astaroshe to see Alessandro. Perhaps she has seen this sort of thing happen before." Caterina looked out of the nearest window, seeing the trash-strewn streets of overcrowded Rome. _The invasion sparked a mass-exodus to this city... if it had fallen, the butchery would have been unimaginable. Brother should have anticipated the food shortages, squalor, and crime that would come with the refugees, yet he did nothing. _

"Understood."

- - - -

_(In an emergency meeting in Byzantium) _

The large courtyard hardly seemed as vacuous as it usually was. Nearly every family that could, had showed up, every small house from Eastern Europe to Africa, and all... by her express command.

"You'll love the speech even more when read aloud," the Rozenkruez agent whispered into her ear. Seth bit her lip, waiting for the threshold where it would be too late for her to do anything so that she would no longer have to sit like this... agonizing over what she had been forced to do in order to ensure the survival of her subjects... and herself. _Why am I such a coward? _

Within the many balconies, the colors of various houses showed brightly. Yet, everything was silent; the air, calm. Everyone was waiting on the announcement. After a few moments, it began with a clear, calm voice.

"Representatives from the Empire, we welcome you in this most crucial time. We, the merciful leaders of the Methuselah, decided just a few months prior to make contact with the Terrans to discuss the future prosperity of our two nations."

Because of the level of secrecy of the mission, this was unknown by most of the spectators. A few murmured whispers sprinkled among them.

"Facing initial success, we sent the noble-lady, Astaroshe Asran, to discuss the terms of a peaceful coexistence." The whispering picked up. Proud Methuselah nobles lowered their eyes at the very thought of the Empire stooping so low, yet they stayed relatively quiet, knowing that the tale was not over.

"For her efforts towards peace, and her efforts to spare the lowly Terran kingdoms, she was recently beheaded in front of a Terran mob! The very men that had offered peace months before watched in grim satisfaction as she was stripped naked, and violated!

Do we want peace with such men, knowing that they will break any oath at a moments notice?! Slay an imperial guest in the most vile fashion? If they are so bold, how long will it be before they decide to do the same, except they will strike villages, then towns, then cities..." the speaker's voice dropped to a whisper "Byzantium." Hushes grew panicked, eyes darted around as nobles shuffled in their seats. Rage simmered to the breaking point.

"I have not brought you here to declare war, for war has already been declared! I only ask you that you help this great Empire protect the lives and dignity of its citizens. Let us summon our might, and together, we shall crush them!"

Seth turned away, disgusted. The smiling Rozenkruez spy was waiting. "What has been said in the speech will come true soon enough. We have men in Rome working on it."

- - - -

_(In the Papal Palace of the Vatican) _

Astaroshe Asran knelt over the bed of the restrained Pope, looking into his wild eyes, for anything... the slightest glimmer. "Excuse me, but what exactly are you doing, my lady?" the nurse asked, approaching in concern.

"You wanted me to take a look, didn't you?" Astaroshe snapped, "Stay back!"

Alessandro stared blankly up at her. "Say something," Astaroshe demanded. Alessandro blinked.

She turned back to the nurse. "This has nothing to do with his transformation to a vampire. This is psychological." Nodding, the nurse looked down at Alessandro with concern.

"Can you help him?" she asked.

"I'll do my best," Astaroshe replied raising her hand. Before the nurse had time to protest, Astaroshe slapped Alessandro across the face, knocking his head back against the restraints. Alessandro snarled, baring his fangs.

"Get a grip, you coward!" she yelled, slapping him again. This time, he gasped sharply.

"You really shouldn't..." the nurse began.

"SILENCE!" Astaroshe roared over her shoulder, delivering another blow onto Alessandro's face. She could see it now, just the slightest flicker. _I'm close. _She wound up, spitting onto the back of her hand for more sting. With one swift motion and the support of her legs and torso, she delivered a bone-jarring slap to the right cheek.

He opened his drool-coated lips, and let out a scream of pain. "That's it... let it go, boy." Astaroshe goaded, grabbing him by the hair.

"Stop it... please," he whispered, tears streaming down his blood-red cheeks.

- - - -

_(On the outskirts of Byzantium) _

Mirka Fortuna paced quickly through the quiet streets of Byzantium, heading for her airship. _Once in the air, it will only be a few hours before I can reach Rome, but first, I'll need to get rid of this shadow. _She allowed herself the slightest glance, catching sight of the man, the same one who had followed her after her departure from the mansion. _Seth wouldn't have chosen me if she did not fear that our palace guards and servants had been infiltrated by their agents. Or perhaps she requires my finesse for the job. _

Heading into a deserted alleyway, she pulled out a golden pocket-watch, checking the time. Jarring her hand, she allowed the slippery metal to drop between her fluttering fingers. Then, looking up as if to find anyone, she found her tail staring back at her. "Young man, could you help me get this watch? I have a very bad back."

At first surprised, the Rozenkruez agent gave her a fake smile. "Of course," he said, approaching. Bending over, he reached for the watch, exposing the back of his neck. She had a dagger waiting. Jamming the blade into his neck, his limbs went limp as the neural pathways to the brain were swiftly and gracefully severed. She unsheathed her blade and wiped it clean of his fluids before returning it to her pocket. _Now... to the airship. _


	28. Chapter 9: Section 1

Trinity Blood Part Two: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 9: Stumbling... **

**Section 1: Into Awareness**

_(In the Royal Palace of Albion) _

"So where is it that we're going?" Abel asked, curious by the servant's cryptic command. _"Please follow me"... ? _

"It will just be a moment now, don't worry," she answered blankly, directing him around another ornate bend in the long string of hallways that made up the palace. _Maybe Esther is finally gonna start talking to me again, or Ion is giving me another gift. _

Red carpet turned to purple as they walked on. It seemed as if they had been walking for ages. _How big is this place? _Not many destinations had interested him much besides the kitchen, dining room, and that room that he often managed to see Esther from. _Maybe it's not right to watch her change... but I don't see the harm in it. _

He was jolted from his musings by the servant's voice. "Here," she stated, pointing to a obscure door at the end of the hallway. With a dusty handle and distance from the rest of the building, it seemed as if no one had used the room in a while. But instead of being alarmed, Abel was even more excited.

_I wonder who it is... or what! _"I'm here!" Abel shouted happily, pushing the door aside.

"It's been a while, Abel." _Hugue? _The female servant that had directed him blushed and smiled at Hugue before backing away and closing the door after them.

Abel's face tightened into a frown. "I don't know what you're doing here. I've quit AX. I'm done with the whole thing."

Hugue narrowed his eyes. "Do you even know what's been happening the last few days?" he questioned sharply.

"I've been having the best meals of my life," Abel answered, commemorating the lingering taste of grapes with a lick of his lips. Hugue shook his head, and then began to relate the world events from after the attack on Rome, quickly peeking Abel's interest.

"Wait, Esther did what?" Abel interrupted.

- - - -

_(Northern Hispania) _

"So... what exactly is it that you do, Lewis?" she asked, batting her eyelashes prettily.

"Well... I'm in the navy," Leon answered, with a proud smile, placing his fork on his plate and leaning back. _God, what a woman. _Just a few sentences, and she had agreed to dinner and a date. _You haven't lost it, Leon. _"What do you do, Camila."

Her face darkened momentarily, but she soon laughed softly. "You don't want to know what I do."

"I want to know everything about you," he pressed, giving her a fiendish grin. She looked away, seemingly embarrassed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry... it's just that I'm not used to hearing that kind of thing," she answered, looking down at the table. Leon leaned across, brushing his plate of food aside, and gave her a short kiss. He leaned back again, waiting for her response. Surprised, she stared dreamily at him for a moment with her mouth open. However, just a few moments later, she shook her head.

"Bye Lewis," she murmured, getting up quickly.

"Damn it!" Leon cursed, watching her red dress disappear into the crowd. _So close... _Leon had been sure she was interested, she had wanted to known everything about his background... his family, how he joined the navy. _I think I'll see her again. _

- - - -

_(Inside a cleaner dungeon of the Vatican) _

_I'm ruined... my life is over, _Francesco thought, looking out his only window upon the rocky shores to which he had been confined. Waves crashed against the side of the tower repeatedly, and soon, he was gonna lose it.

_I would probably be holding up better in the conditions that I had my dear sister in... _But this confinement was much different. He got three square meals a day that were good, let alone edible. Instead of near-solitary confinement, people visited him daily, reminding him of his misdeeds. Because of the benign conditions he was forced into, the only enemy he could find... was himself, and it was tearing him apart.

"God... why have you forsaken me?" Francesco asked pleadingly, looking to the blood-red sun as it stood, poised to dip below the ocean.

"Why is it that you blame God for what you yourself have done?" a gruff voice asked from behind him. Francesco turned, alarmed. It was Petros. A trail of blood drops marked his path through the doorway.

Francesco panicked, tried to find an exit, but his way was blocked. Between him and his only salvation was a muscular, tall beast of a man, who's second in command was shot dead by Francesco's own command.

"Petros... I..."

"You use the will of others as a shield, Francesco. You never stay to see the deed done with your own eyes, but leave that burden on the shoulders of others. I followed you, taking your orders as those of God. But for someone with divine backing, you were quite hesitant to be involved in those affairs yourself. Like when you ordered a servant of God, one much more devoted than yourself, to be killed." At the mention of Paula's death, Petros' eyes closed slightly, glassed over. _Is he... crying? _

"Are you going to kill me?" Francesco asked softly.

"I'll let you ponder your life. Give you time to sort out your own soul. As you are now, I am certain that you would make your way to hell. And every man... no matter how wicked, deserves a chance to repent."

"Thank you."

Petros smiled, and turned to leave, but just as his great shoulders completed their turn, he spun back around and delivered a heavy blow to Francesco's jaw with his elbow. Knocked back from the force of the strike, Francesco lost his footing, whimpering on the ground. "That was so you don't forget!"

"Forget what?" Francesco asked quietly, gasping from the burning sensation on his face.

"Don't forget HER!" Petros roared, making Francesco cower into the corner. Satisfied, he turned to leave again, but this time, it was Petros who fell to his knees, clenching his heart. "Intruding steel to which my flesh will finally succumb," Petros whispered.

Francesco watched in horrified fascination as Petros began to die. Wheezing turned to hacking coughs, and soon blood was dripping from his open mouth. Petros knew death was close, and an urgency came into him. "You don't know what it's like! You don't know how much it hurts to lose a man..." A fit of coughing came over Petros, more violent than before. "a woman under your command! It leaves you empty... unimaginable guilt!" For the while, it seemed as if his coughing was done. His eyes locked with Francesco's, and he could see it... the pain.

Petros turned over, blood drenched, and began to crawl towards Francesco, who was too scared to move. Wiping his mouth free of his blood, he clasped Francesco's hands in an iron grip. "There..." he gasped, "blood... on ... your hands... don't forget... her."

Petros' eyes wandered to the window, watching the crimson sun set. "I'm ready..." he finally whispered. Smiling, Petros' body slunk to the stone floor, it's usual proud stiffness having been finally abandoned. Francesco wept. _Take him with open arms, lord. _

- - - -

_(In the military airbase of the Vatican)_

"Well... I certainly have a lot to report," Astaroshe said coldly, as they approached the hangar. Markizan followed behind her, grimacing.

"Yep..." he said softly.

"I can inform the Empire that you were defeated and graciously spared by myself," she continued.

"Uh-huh." _There goes my family honor... forever. _

"That the Vatican seems to want to attack me or imprison me at every turn." Markizan chuckled, remembering the muggers that they had just recently encountered. _One through a window... one into the river, one with a lamp-post jammed into his pelvis._

"Here we are..." she said, satisfied that she would finally get to leave this place. The place that had defined her existence for the last few weeks. Astaroshe wanted nothing more than to go home, spending a night in something other than a cell.

She was close. Just a step, and she would reach the ladder to her airship. "Astaroshe Asran!" a large guard announced from behind her.

She turned in annoyance. "Spit it out terran!" she commanded.

The guard narrowed his eyes. "You, and your companion have been charged with twenty counts of murder, come with me."

"That's strange... you see... I've been very close to murdering terrans this entire trip, but I haven't given in to the temptation. Now, however..." she pulled out her spear, pointing it at the guard. "I have a lot of frustration I'd just love to take out on you." Markizan stepped back, watching with a bemused smile.

"We thought you'd say that! Now, everyone!"

_What's this? _Ripping ornate curtains aside, ten men emerged from the shadows, carrying what looked like large, modified rifles. A single man sneered from the shadows, their leader. Stepping forward, his red eyes sparkled with anticipation. He was taller than most men, standing at least a head taller than the rest of the guards. But, by the arrogance of his smile, he looked Orden.

"I expected nothing less, Duchess." His men followed him, pointing their weapons directly at her. _Ten... from what I've seen her do, this should be nothing for her. _But something about the guns made Markizan uneasy.

"You're to be found guilty of murder. A bloodthirsty vampire, going so long without tasting human flesh, cannot help but indulge herself, and savagely murders the occupants of a small diner in the west of Rome. With enough false witnesses brought forward, the Cardinal will be forced to execute you."

"Bastard! Who do you work for?" Astaroshe hissed.

"Open fire," he said carelessly. Astaroshe moved with gracious speed, jumping from the shoulder of the first guard, and raising her spear into the air. However, the soldiers were disciplined, and reacted quickly to her forward-attack. They shot their rifles, but with each shot, instead of a single bullet, a huge grouping of bullets came out, sending wide swaths of flack into their air. With the first volley, Astaroshe had already been struck in the leg.

When she landed, her feet could not support the sudden weight, and she fell into a dripping pool of her own blood. Gritting her teeth, she tried to stand, struggling to fight the pain of the silver. The riflemen had already prepared another volley with a single arm motion, and fired again.

"NO!" Markizan shouted, jumping at the riflemen. His charge earned him half of the bullets fired, and he rolled onto the ground, inhaling sharply. Astaroshe, taking the remaining shots, collapsed as well.

Looking up, Astaroshe's vision was blurred from the intense pain. It seemed as each of the bullets was burning a hole through her body, slowly melting her skin away. The commander knelt down, his black hair falling over his eyes. He twirled a gloved finger through her bloody hair, stroking her battered cheek as it shivered from the pain. "To answer your question, sweety..." he said softly, "I am Jerimia, from the Rozenkruez order." He patted her head, and motioned for the guards to carry her away.

- - - -

_(Inside the royal palace of Albion) _

Ion stepped forward menacingly, drawing close to Abel, as Esther backed away. When Abel entered, they had been kissing gently on a wide bedspread. "How could you Esther, he's like twelve!"

"It's just as Esther predicted!" Ion yelled, drawing his blade. Seeing the glimmer of steel, Abel stepped backwards, surprised.

"What are you talking about?" Abel asked. As disappointed as he was, Abel never intended for it to come to blows between the two of them. _Whatever makes Esther happy... _

"You said... she said that if you found out, you would try to stop it!" _Found out... he must mean the war buildup between Albion and Spain. _

"Of course! You're following a road that will only lead to suffering and death!" Abel shouted out pleadingly, hoping that Ion would listen, and put his sword away.

"If that's how you see it..." Ion thrusted quickly with his long blade, taking Abel by surprise. The well-honed edge penetrated Abel's coat and gut, impaling him. "I will defend what Esther and I share, true love! And it's been long enough that's she's suffered due to your greed!" Finished, he gave the blade another push, sinking it in another three inches. Now the blade had reached the hilt, and Abel's warm blood began to splatter onto Ion's hands.

Abel's mouth was agape. Sure, the blade hurt, but the betrayal hurt much more. As Ion attempted to pull the blade free, Abel clenched his stomach, holding the sharp edges of the sword against muscle and flesh. With his right hand, he grabbed Ion's arm, pulling himself to the face of the childish vampire. "First off all..." Abel whispered, twisting Ion's arm. "I wasn't talking about your relationship."

Ion lashed out with his free hand, striking Abel across the face. _I'm sorry, Ion. _He pushed the arm past the stress point, breaking it. Ion let go of his blade, and fell to the ground. "Second of all..." Abel said more clearly, pulling the blade from his own gut. "I have never done any of the things, nor will I do any of the things that you imply!"

Ion struggled to rise, using his good arm. Not wanting to resume the fight, Abel kicked him back onto the ground. "Stay down there Ion! You're not yourself!" he warned.

"Enough! Both of you!" Esther finally shouted, stepping forward. But the tone seemed alien to her lips. "As much as this little interplay has amused me, it's time for you to die, Abel!" With this said, the door opened behind Abel.

"Stabbed you, did he?" Cain asked, chuckling to himself.

Abel turned, his eyes burning with the hatred. "How pathetic. If you had just used your Krusnik... ah, but it looks like you can't use it!" Cain laughed again, this time giving Abel a forceful kick. Abel had no chance to react, and was thrown through a wall. "You should have drank more blood instead of skirt-chasing, brother."

Ion watched from the ground. _Why is Cain here... why is Esther smiling at him? _Looking over to Abel, who was now a broken body in a pile of debris, Ion's mind finally grasped what had happened. _I've been used! _

- - - -

_(Inside the private quarters of the Cardinal) _

_Amazing what one hard-willed woman can do, _she mused. She had been fixing most of the messes that her brother, in his idiotic reign, had created, and Astaroshe Asran, with just a minute's time, had cured Alessandro.

_Not to mention the Empress... and the Queen of Albion. This seems to be a world ruled by women. _Alessandro had recovered quickly after his encounter with the duchess, speaking in the same quiet, shy sentences that she had remembered of him. Except now, most questions regarded what the future would hold. It was complicated... if it were to get out that he was a Methuselah, the Cardinal assembly would be in an uproar.

She heard someone approaching from the hallway. "What is it?" she questioned, tucking the last of her papers into her desk for tomorrow. The door burst of its hinges, and a masked man walked through, carrying a curved sword.

"Time to die, Cardinal!" the figure shouted, rushing forward. _Assassin! _Seeing the large preparation for his blade-stroke, she rushed forward, seizing him by the hands. They both fell to the ground, struggling over the blade.

It didn't last long. The stronger assassin struck Caterina in the sternum, leaving her breathless, and climbed back onto his feet, pointing his blade forward this time. As he prepared to swing, Caterina saw a small boy enter the room from the corner of her eye. "Alessandro run!" she screamed. The assassin glanced at the boy, but when he saw who it was, he turned directly back to Caterina.

"Hah, it's just a kid," he muttered, thrusting his blade forwards. His thrust never found its target. Dropping the blade, he fell to the ground. Alessandro's fangs had pierced his jugular, and his life-fluid was being rapidly sucked from his body. A few seconds later, Alessandro rose, letting assassin's lifeless body sink, so drained of blood that it didn't even leak from the two rip marks made from Alessandro's immature vampire teeth.

"Sister, it's all right now," he said comfortingly, offering out his hand. Blood ran from his mouth down his jaw, dripping onto the ground. Caterina recoiled instinctively, but immediately recognized her mistake. However, it was too late to apologize. Alessandro turned around, and stiffly walked away.

- - - -


	29. Chapter 9: Section 2

Trinity Blood Part Two: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 9: Stumbling...**

**Section 2: With Scissors **

Note: I know, I know... long time, no update. I'm sorry everyone, and I promise that it'll be wrapped up in some sort of grand old conclusion very soon. Until then, enjoy the bonkers over-the-top (and apparently OOC, according to my first all-out flame review ;0 ) characters and melodramatic situations.

_(Inside the mansion of Albion)_

"It's him... isn't it!" Ion whispered weakly. Abel nodded. They were both backed into the corner, together. Abel was bleeding steadily.

"It's my brother... Cain," Abel answered, grimacing in pain from the impact of the wall. Cain walked across the room, and took his place by Esther's side.

"And I'll have you know, I'm not twelve," Ion hissed.

Abel laughed. "Do you even have facial hair yet?"

Cain whispered something into Esther's ear, and she laughed. Not long after, another man walked into the room. He was a stranger, with an extremely pale grotesque face that looked as if it had gone decades without seeing the sun.

"Yeah... sure... hey! Wait! You don't even have facial hair, you hypocrite!" Ion retorted.

"I don't? Look! Right there, on my chin!"

"That's not facial hair, are you kidding me?"

Cain narrowed his eyes. "Silence! Both of you!" Abel, remembering what was going on, snapped his head back at Cain, matching his gaze.

"We should kill him now," Esther suggested. Ion grinned triumphantly at Abel.

"Who?" Cain asked.

"The boy, he'll get in the way." Ion's smile disappeared.

"Esther..." he called out, sounding hurt.

"This isn't Esther," Esther said with a malicious smile.

"It's Dietrich," Abel explained. "I thought I sensed something wrong with her just a few days ago. Like it was someone else... but I didn't realize that it had gotten this far."

"Dietrich... wait, so Esther is actually a man? That's not right!" Ion shouted.

"Oh, don't tell me you slept with him!"

"No... well only sort of."

"You either did or you didn't."

"I SAID SILENCE!" Cain roared. The two fell silent. Cain nodded back to Esther. "I think I'll kill the boy. He's annoying." He raised his arms and walked forward.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_(The Cardinal's Quarters in the Vatican) _

"This is a disaster! I want messengers sent to the New Human Empire immediately!" The servant bowed, and left the room. Caterina buried her head in her arms, trying to think of something that she could do, but it had all happened so fast. _Damn you, Astaroshe, what the hell did you do? _

Fearing the worst, she glanced out of her window to find that her fears had been realized. Already a large mob was forming outside the gates of the Palace, demanding Astaroshe's head. It wasn't a farce either... the tavern actually had been torn apart, and witnesses swore that Astaroshe had been the one to do it.

But Caterina couldn't believe it. She knew that there was something else going on, but if that mob got any larger, she wouldn't have any choice in the matter.

Then, she heard the door creak behind her. Turning in surprise, she saw Alessandro silhouetting the doorway with a blade in his hand. Eyes narrowed, he took a step forward.

"Alessandro?" Caterina whispered, suddenly frightened. He was pale with bags around his eyes. He had also become much more wiry, a living shadow of his former body. His once-vibrant innocence was missing in action.

He lazily met eyes with her, in them she saw a flash of annoyance. "There's someone coming," he said bluntly.

"Where...?"

He pointed at the ceiling, and took position next to Caterina, holding his blade at the ready. "There was a time..." Caterina began. "That I could never imagine you laying your hands on a knife."

"People change," he answered.

"Yes, I guess they do. Should we move?"

"Too late..."

The window crashed open, as a masked figure came through feet first. Landing gracefully, it turned catlike eyes onto the two of them. Alessandro rushed first, completely silent other than the soft weaving footfalls as he charged. Caterina was awed by how much he had changed from the weak-willed Pope she had once known, but she needed to act quickly. She reached under her desk for her pistol, pushing the many papers aside.

The attacking figure waited until the last moment, and then met the charge. With a flash of cloth, it swept under Alessandro, spilling him to the ground. His momentum carried him into the wall in a roll. As he scrambled up, the figure tore off the black mask that hid it's face. From the lighting, Caterina could see that it was a much older Methuselah than Astaroshe. The intruder kicked Alessandro as he tried to get up, knocking him back to the ground. "If you had some proper training you might have landed that blow," she said sharply.

"What do you want?" Caterina asked, keeping the pistol ready under the desk.

"You can drop the gun, Cardinal. My name is Mirka Fortuna, the Duchess of Moldova here on the empresses' request to deliver a message to you. I apologize on the abruptness of my visit." Caterina met eyes with Alessandro and nodded. Alessandro got up slowly, and backed away. She un-cocked the pistol and let it drop to the ground.

"Go ahead," Caterina said.

"Our forces are gearing up. They're preparing to invade the Vatican."

"Well, can't you,-"

"I'm not finished! Cain has Seth under watch by the Orden. We need Abel now or all that will remain of your Vatican will be a flat sheen of glass. Flat means no buildings... no people... no plants... no vegetation. Nothing." Fortuna warned icily.

"I have agents already trying to contact Abel..."

"I need Astaroshe. I believe you've met."

"She's set to be executed in a week. I couldn't possibly-,"

"A week is too long. Set the execution to tonight, and get a firing squad together. Preferably the men that put her into custody."

"What are you planning?" Caterina asked, bewildered.

"Leave it to me."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

_(The Royal Palace in Albion) _

The door burst open, knocked from its hinges, and a robed figure darted through the crashing wood splinters like a phantom. "Ahh... company!" Esther announced gleefully. Cain raised his hand at the darting figure, tracking it with deadly precision. But Hugue acted first, knocking a desk into Cain's line of fire. When Cain fired, the air was filled with hundreds of loose papers, veiling the room in a screen of paperwork. The air rippled again, with a force that tore up the floor between Hugue and Abel.

"Get out now!" Hugue yelled. Abel nodded, grabbing Ion by the arm, he ran outside, as shockwaves ripped left and right, blowing holes in the walls and filling the air with jagged pieces of wooden debris.

Jumping through the door, Abel slammed against the wall of the hallway, breathing heavily. "What's wrong?" Ion asked.

"Nothing," Abel replied gruffly, pushing himself back up. He left a streak of red behind him as he slid up the wall.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_(Temporary housing in Hispania) _

"So what are we going to do?" Leon asked suggestively as he emptied the last glass of wine.

Camila smiled shyly. "I know just the thing, Lewis."

"I'm listening..." Leon said, smiling in anticipation.

She leaned close to him, breathing up his neck with deliberate pauses in between, before getting to his ear. "Why don't you lay down on your stomach, and close your eyes," she whispered. Her voice was incredibly soft and vibrant, like someone about to divulge a secret.

Leon wanted to know the secret.

Jumping onto the bed, he closed his eyes, and tensed up, wondering where she'd begin. With his world engulfed in blackness, he heard soft footfalls approach. Next, he felt the bed sag slightly as it adjusted to her weight. Giddiness overpowered him as he felt the bed sag on his other side, knowing that she was straddling him.

Then, he felt the touch of a hand. He squirmed slightly, but then let her continue. Slightly touching him with the tips of her fingers, she sent tingles through his lower legs, and then his thighs. They snaked farther between them, and kept going until... They grabbed something.

Leon laughed. "Oh, so you're into that kind of..."

He was cut off as she twisted the things she was holding. "OUUUCCHHHHHH!" Leon roared, squirming instinctively away, but a foot jammed into his back. Before he could get leverage against her, he felt a cold tickle as a knife was placed against the back of his neck.

He froze.

"So, Leon, why is the Vatican's elite AX infiltrating the Spanish navy?" she questioned bluntly.

"Uhhh... what the heck is AX?" Leon answered. This earned a twist. "Oh shit... stop it... stop it!" he whimpered.

"You are probably the worst agent I've ever seen," she muttered.

"Yeah, I'm pretty bad."

"Don't get off topic!" she shouted. Then there was a squeeze.

"NO MORE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!" Leon bellowed.

"Same question..." she warned.

"Hey... I got a deal for you. You let go, and I'll let you infiltrate AX!" Leon said, laughing nervously.

"First, tell me what I-,"

"Okay okay okay!" Leon said, "I'll tell you everything. God damn it... why can't a girl just be attracted to me for me. It's not like I'm bad-looking."

"Off topic!"

"SHIITTTT!"

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_(The public execution of Astaroshe Asran outside the Vatican.) _

Astaroshe tried not to focus on the angry mob. She didn't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing she even cared about them. She kept her head pointed high, proudly gazing into the eyes of the heavens. Heaven was a strange thing to her, but as it seemed that it would be coming sooner than she anticipated, it wouldn't be strange for long.

She remembered Abel, and how he fervently tried to convince her of the teachings of Jesus. They had seemed to tiresome then, but now, she could see their appeal. Of course, such limited mortality did that to people... made them foolish. But she needed something other than her own strength now.

"Rot in hell, bitch!" one man bellowed. A piece of some dead animal, probably a cat, hit Astaroshe in the temple, leaving a gooey red smear across her brow. She closed her eyes. It wasn't the angry ones that she avoided; they hardened her resolve if anything. However, the family of the victims, standing quietly in the background had expressions of blame that tore right through Astaroshe's pride.

The noise was pretty bad. It was way too loud. Loud enough to be impossible to filter out. It was the kind of noise that was so loud that you couldn't hear your own thoughts. The kind of noise that was so continuous that you wondered if your ears had broken, and were perhaps looping some kind of ungodly interference.

The firing squad began to assemble, brandishing polished firearms and haughty smiles. She faced them directly, bored into their eyes. Some looked away, others smiled right back at her. _Listen here God, _she thought to herself. _I don't know if you're there. Are you there? Fine, let's say you're there, but you're too much of an asshole to say something back. That's fine too. I just wanted to say that if you are judging people that go to heaven or hell by whether or not they worship you, that you are an egotistical bastard, and you can have your damned heaven. _

The firing squad began to cock their various weapons. _Ok ok... can you forgive of that last part? Uhh... and forgive me of the other stuff too? I got this friend who's a priest if that helps my chances... _

From the corner of her eye, she saw a brilliant flash come from the crowd, stinging her eyes. _What jerk is doing that? _She decided not to look down. The flash came again, and this time, she recognized it with the angriest expression she could muster. But when she saw who it was, her expression changed into one of hope. _Mirka Fortuna? _

She was doing something with her hands. Astaroshe focused, her keen eyesight narrowing in on them, and she realized that they were hand signals. The same message repeated over and over again, _"Die"._

_Wait, that cant be right, _Astaroshe thought.

The crowd roared even louder as the weapons were hoisted into firing position.

"Ready!" a man shouted. Astaroshe stared into the muzzle of one of the guns, immersing herself in it's blackness.

"Aim!" She only had a few seconds, a few thoughts. She decided to reflect. Did she have a fulfilling life? Did she have any regrets?

She decided that she had one regret, and that regret was... "Fire!"


	30. Chapter 9: Section 3

Trinity Blood Part Two: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 9: Stumbling...**

**Section 3: Into Conflict**

Note: Still chugging along. Thank you all that are keeping up. The final questions will be answered in just a little bit more time!

Note: VIOLENCE WARNING! Hide the children!

**- - - - - - - - - - - **

_(The execution of Astaroshe Asran) _

The crowd jeered as Astaroshe's body took the first volley. Amazingly, no bullet had struck her head. The pain was incredible, and Astaroshe cried out for the first time in a while. Blood seeped down her body, drenching her clothes. It was strangely warm... pleasant.

Before she could focus her blurry vision on her attackers, the second volley sounded. This time bullets tore through her head at multiple points, shattering her skull and jaw. She heard a cheer sound from the crowd, but then blank out as her hearing ceased to function.

Her jaw hung limply onto the rest of her head. Only connected by a few strands of tissue. Gleaming white bone shone openly, and blood sprayed from her neck. The pain was so overwhelming that it suddenly shut off. Everything became surreal. Barely able to see, a bullet entered her brain, vision went entirely black. _So this is how I am going to die, _Astaroshe thought grimly.

Her consciousness slowly faded away as her body slumped down. But before she could fall, another volley tore into her back. One struck her spinal cord, and she lost the feeling in her lower body.

Visions flashed before her eyes. First, of her partner, and his much cleaner death. Then, of her exploits for the empire. And finally, of him.

She did not understand, even at the very end, why Abel Nightroad had stolen her heart. And she had been too proud to admit it. _Damn my pride. My proud body suites me well now... filled with holes, and quickly losing my proud blood. Damn it... _

Then, for Astaroshe Asran, there was nothing.

- - - - - - - - -

_(In the Royal Palace of Albion) _

"It's a terran," Cain said with a smile.

Hugue stood in the corner, surrounded by wreckage, breathing heavily. Shrapnel left his torso bleeding and riddled with bits of wood. But he needed to give Abel time. _I only hope that Abel knows what needs to be done, _Hugue thought.

"Get out of the way," Cain said carelessly, flicking his fingers. A shockwave approached with almost incalculable speed. However, it missed it's target for one reason, Hugue had been expecting it. Dancing to the side, he charged directly at Cain, blade raised.

Laughing, Cain raised his hand without even turning to meet Hugue. "Fool, do you think that you can slice me with that blade?" He flexed his fingers. This time, the shockwave was a broad, straight swath at chest-level that would cut Hugue in two unless he avoided it.

Planting his foot on the ground firmly, Hugue leapt up, soaring above the rippling air, and then he reached out with his blade, and made two surgical cuts in the ceiling directly above Cain's head. As the wooden ceiling support gave way, the floor above crashed down. A whole Royal Library's worth of books fell down onto the two Orden members and the AX agent stuck below.

- - - - - - - -

_(At the execution site of Astaroshe-Asran) _

Caterina felt a wave of nausea pass over her. She felt like she couldn't stand, but she needed to.

_I cannot let the crowd see me waver at this._ Alessandro stood at her side, wearing his papal robes, yet his shallow face did not suite them well.

Both of them grimly watched the execution, as volley after volley was fired into Astaroshe... the same woman who had been the first to offer peace between the New Human Empire and the Vatican. She cried out, and then seemed to crumble apart, piece by piece.

_She came to the Vatican for peace, and now she's a bloody mess in an execution site, _Caterina thought, her hands firmly grasping the bar, afraid that if she let go, she wouldn't be able to stand. _Why? _

Caterina thought back to the woman who had burst in on them last night. _I knew I couldn't trust her. She had Astaroshe killed... and for what? Probably killed her to prevent this new peace from taking hold! _Caterina would save her tears, for a fury rose in her that banished any thought of crying from her mind. Tears would come later.

"Get every unit in the Vatican!" she said. An assistant looked at her in confusion, not sure what to do. "GET EVERY UNIT IN THE VATICAN, AND FIND THAT WOMAN!"

Several of the Cardinals that were with her exchanged worried glances, but she didn't mind them. She could tell something big was coming.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_(In the Royal Palace of Albion) _

"Shhhh!"

Ion shut his mouth, going silent as solid footsteps lumbered by. The two waited until the footsteps became inaudible. "What are we going to do?" Ion whispered. The two had locked themselves into a cleaning closet. There were no lights, and it was barely large enough for the both of them, forcing Abel to be pressed up against Ion uncomfortably.

"We need to get out of here," Abel replied. They both quieted again, hearing a loud thundering of a group of men, heading in the opposite direction.

"Why don't you fight him, Abel?" Ion questioned.

"That's not something I'm ready to do right now!"

"Why not?" Ion asked a little louder.

"Because!" Abel shot back.

"Hey! Who's that in there?" A loud, serious voice called from the hallway.

"No exit," Ion whispered. Abel looked around the closet, and then looked up.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_(In the cremation room) _

"Let's hurry this up, okay guys? I got a quota to fill," the large, sweaty armorer said, scratching his beard.

The room was almost unbearably hot, heated by the many blast furnaces surrounding them. Usually used as a forge for weapons and blades, now it would be used by Jerimia to dispose of the Duchesses corpse.

"Hey, we'll take our God damn time!" Jerimia announced with a sneer. "We got our orders directly from the Pope. Does the Pope issue your quota? I don't think so."

The armorer opened his mouth, thought better of it, then narrowed his eyes and walked away.

"What a shame..." another one of the men said, looking over the beautiful, once-living vampire on the ground.

He reached down, lifting a piece of ripped, bloody cloth that covered her chest.

"Yep... they're beautiful. What's left of them anyhow." A few others leaned in to admire. _Thugs will be thugs, _Jerimia thought.

"Hey sir!" one of them called out. Jerimia shot him an annoyed glance. "Can I take the fangs, sir? I'd like to keep em as trophies."

"Do as you like..."

With an amused smile, he watched as the men began greedily searching her body, tearing through clothing and searching her for jewelry, and fighting over what they found.

One of them began feeling the wounds for silver bullets. Melted down and sold, the silver could get a good price in Rome. Retrieving one, he wiped the blood off and bit down on it to test it's consistency. The bullet dropped from his mouth.

At the same time, the other man had reached into Astaroshe's mouth with a pair of pliers, and groped for her canines.

"Damn... it's not silver," one thug said, holding the bullet up to the light.

Jerimia's eyes darted to the bullet. _Steel. _Then, feeling rising fear in his gut, he glanced at the Duchesses wounds. Some of them had already begun to heal. "She's still alive!" Jerimia shouted. _Someone replaced our silver bullets with steel... none of these wounds are fatal. _

The man with his hands still inside Astaroshe's mouth gingerly began to pull them out, eyeing a steadily beating pulse with wide eyes. Just as his hands were about to leave her mouth, they froze. Looking down, he saw that Astaroshe's hand had locked them in a solid grip. He struggled to move them, but she was incredibly strong. It was like trying to free them from concrete. "Help," he whispered.

Astaroshe's mouth snapped shut, cutting the man's hand clean off. Blood bubbled out in a steady stream as he began to scream. Blood splattered onto Astaroshe's face. Her catlike eyes opened. Frightened, the men scrambled backwards. One picked up a hammer, and ran at her, yelling.

Twirling around, she lashed out with one foot, striking the hammer in mid-blow, and smashing it back into the man's face. He fell to the ground, with broken teeth and nose. Next to them, from a fresh rack of weapons created from the blast furnace, men grabbed spears, swords, and chain.

One man with a chain lashed out next, attempting to strike her across the head. Grabbing the chain in mid-flight, she pulled herself to her feet. Surprisingly, the man still held on stubbornly. Smiling, she yanked the chain in a swift motion. He cried out as his shoulder dislocated.

Before she could move, a spear rammed through her gut, spilling more blood. She pivoted her body, yanking the spear from the man's hands. Unable to hold on, he was thrown to the side. Turning, she faced another man, who charged her with a sword.

With the spear still through her gut, she side-stepped and grabbed his sword hand, twisting it backwards until she felt it break. With her other hand, she grabbed him by the back, and crushed him against her, impaling him on the bloody spear point that was still sticking out from her front.

"How do you like them now?" she asked, his face buried in her chest. With a swift motion, she jumped backwards, freeing him from the spear, and then kicked him under the neck, snapping his head backward, cracking his spine.

Turning on her last two opponents, she grabbed the tip of the spear, and pulled it, inch by inch, through her gut, until it was free. Only two men remained, the disarmed man who had lost his spear, and Jerimia.

The three of them stood still. Astaroshe, who still looked like a walking corpse, still had unhealed bullet-holes in much of her body. She was breathing steadily, wincing from the sharp jabs of pain she felt from the bullets still buried in her flesh, and the fresh wound at her side.

Of the other two, the disarmed man was pale, having just felt the powerful rage of Astaroshe. Jerimia stood still, with a cryptic smile on his face, and his hands hidden in his jacket. Astaroshe looked down, saw the bulge. Just as he pulled the trigger, she jumped to the side, narrowly dodging a real silver bullet. Before he could pull the trigger again, she swept in, jabbing the spear into his chest.

Still running forward, she planted a foot on his head, unsheathed the spear from his body, and landed a front-flip behind him. Kneeling down, she closed her eyes, waiting. Jerimia turned his head around, smiled, and then his torso fell off from the rest of his body, sending up a liquid crimson curtain.

The last man eyed her, terrified. He was visibly shaking, obviously not a member of the Orden. Showered with her own blood and Jerimia's, Astaroshe flashed her canines in a malicious smile. "Go home."

- - - - - - - - - - -

_(In a combat station in southeast of the Itallian peninsula) _

"Sir! Combat patrols on the Ionian sea are reporting a stir of vampire movement!" A man said, huffing from a quick run to the command station.

Inside, Commander Christianson, surrounded by officers, graphs, and technical displays, raised his head.

"Is it hostile?" Commander Christian asked.

"No... err... we don't know, sir," he replied nervously. As he said this, a blinding white light gleamed from the distance. Many of the men ducked, but recovered when they realized that it wasn't close. Looking closely, Christianson saw a number of dark blobs speckling the distant sky.

"Is that Otranto?" one of the officers whispered disbelievingly. Then, a number of explosions sent brilliant flashes of light, almost strobelike, across the room. Flame and smoke rose from over the hills.

"It's not anymore," Christianson responded.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_(Inside the office of the Cardinal) _

Caterina had felt like puking when she watched the execution, but it had not taken long for that sickened feeling to turn to rage. With her head in her arms, she tried to keep herself from exploding as she waited.

"You wanted to see me, Cardinal?" the familiar sophisticated female voice asked. Caterina's eyes shot up, glaring at the Duchess, but she approached the desk undaunted, sitting down across from her. Two Vatican guards took their places at either side of her.

Caterina observed her for a few moments before speaking. "How can you be so calm? Your comrade was just torn to pieces by a firing squad!" Caterina spat.

"I'm calm, because things are not what they appear," Fortuna answered cryptically.

"I think I interpreted their _appearance_ just fine!" Caterina fumed. "Astaroshe Asran, the Duchess of Kiev is dead!"

"So you think."

"So I _think_?"

"I made sure to switch the silver bullets with steel ones before the execution. With no silver in her system, her body can regenerate the wounds," Mirka Fortuna elaborated.

"Why... didn't you tell me this?" Caterina asked.

"It wasn't necessary to tell you."

Caterina narrowed her eyes, raised her arm, and slapped Mirka Fortuna across the face.

"Is that all?" the Methuselah asked.

"Yes."


	31. Chapter 10: Section 1

Trinity Blood: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 10: This Is The End**

**Section 1: God Help Us**

Note: This actually ended up being a lot shorter than I thought it would be... hmmph. Anyhow... I kinda made a bit of a leap in this installment... we'll see how you all respond (or how you all don't respond... I guess that matters on how much you like it!)

- - - - - - - - -

_(Inside the Royal Palace of Albion) _

Under the strain of Abel and Ion's weight, the metal ventilator groaned, the steel slightly giving way.

"You're too heavy!" Ion hissed. As if in agreement, the steel sank another inch.

Abel clung on to the sides fearfully, with his eyes closed. _There's only one way... To have him fight like before. To have him feed... _

Below them, there was still a bustle of activity. It would not be too long.

As the steel continued to buckle downwards, Ion thought back to what Abel had said the day after his battle in the sky, that rules would need to be broken.Pivoting, he looked to Abel as he was now. And he knew that there was only one way that he would have the strength to fight.

He ran the possibilities through his head. He thought of the lives at stake, and he made his decision. "Bite me," Ion whispered. _For Esther. _

- - - - - - - - -

_(In a command center in southeast Italy) _

"No! Leave the papers! We need heavy munitions!" General Christianson shouted. It was hard to hear anything over the rumble coming from the horizon.

The man nodded his understanding, and after dropping the box of papers to the ground, ran off into obscurity along one of the bustling hallways.

As he paced the command center, Christianson glanced back up through the small opening. The brilliant white light was getting brighter... closer. Spreading ahead of it, fires paved the way, burning through trees, houses, and people alike. Above it, vampire ships rained the superheated material, feeding the inferno. _Why now? It doesn't make any sense. _

The most frightening thing about it, was that he had seen hardly any civilians running away from the purging white light. That could mean only that the ships were advancing too fast to escape. _At least it's not night yet, _Christianson figured.

"Sir! We ought to request an evacuation by airship!" one aid urged, eyeing a terminal nervously.

"It would take a good number of ships to evacuate this area... and time. If that vampire fleet had any sense, they'd just swoop in and wipe the ships out!"

"But sir!" the man began to plead.

"But nothing" Christianson shot back. "We cannot commit or fleet until the vampires are further up the peninsula and spread thin. If we even tried to confront them here with their forces concentrated, we'd find ourselves in a world of shit!"

"Understood, sir."

"Good... now it's about time we hiked it out of here. Sound the general evacuation."

- - - - - - - - - -

_(Inside the Royal Palace of Albion) _

It had been one of the most trying weeks of Esther's life, and she hadn't even been the one living it. She had been relegated to the corner of her own mind as Dietrich used her body to seduce Ion, and used her influence to infiltrate Albion at every corner with Contra Mundi agents.

And of course, she would not forget _him. _Abel's deranged brother who she had watched plot his destruction. And who eyed her with... she couldn't quite understand his expression, but it was something between malice and dark desire.

She would cry if she still had control over her tears.

_Yes, I think you might even start to understand him, my dear Esther, _a malicious voice said in her mind.

And Dietrich.

In anger, Esther clenched her fist, an old habit she had picked up to release her frustration without yelling, which was a useful thing for a nun to learn. But nothing happened, of course. Dietrich's control over her body couldn't be broken, no matter how hard she tried.

Even more frustrated, she clenched harder. The finger on her right hand twitched.

Esther immediately stopped. _Was that just my imagination? _she wondered.

She tried again, this time to blink. The eyelid closed just a fraction of an inch before snapping back up again. _For some reason... his grip on me is weakening. When I get the chance... _

She felt her arm move involuntarily up to her chest, and brush against her left breast. "mmm these are nice," she heard her own voice say. But it wasn't her. It sounded nothing like her.

If she couldn't get out of this body... the least she could do is tell Abel. Somehow, relay to him that she no longer wished to live.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_(In the Royal Palace of Albion)_

Astaroshe was glad to be back to some sense of finery, even if it was blood-soaked finery. _Well... blood certainly isn't a turn-off. Oh... speak of the devil... _

"Hey! You're not authorized to UGHHh!"

The human voice. An annoyance that can always be ended with a kick to the throat. The unfortunate guard crumpled to the ground, grasping his windpipe as air hissed from his mouth.

_BLAM! _No other sound said _welcome to Albion _like it. Astaroshe ducked, feeling the rush of air, and the crack as it whizzed by her head. Recovering, she eyed her attacker. The guard began to re-cock, with the familiar human sluggishness.

She raced forward, jumping left, and then right. _Blam! _The second shot wasn't even close enough to warrant a second glance. The guard drew in with incredible speed as she accelerated forward. And at the last moment, the satisfying look on his face of sheer hopelessness and surprise.

And then a spinning back-kick. His eyes opened wide as his body soared into the well-polished wooden wall, cracking it. The smell of blood spiced the air as a trickle ran from his scalp. Astaroshe inhaled deeply. _I might even get the opportunity to enjoy myself, before I find the fool. Where are you, Abel? _

"That's enough, vampire!" a stern voice shouted from behind her. Astaroshe turned in annoyance. _Oops. _

As she eyed the firing squad that had assembled behind her, she realized her mistake. It was a dead-end hallway. The guards were probably placed to lure her in. Or perhaps it was blind luck. She glanced around urgently. _No windows. No doors... _The walls, judging from the minor crack next to the guard she had throw against them, were reinforced.

The nearest door was right next to the firing squad. Astaroshe swallowed. _I guess I could rush them... they have silver bullets, but if I can dodge... _as her sharp mind considered this, another ten guards with rifles rushed in behind the already bristling formation, aiming their rifles over the backs of their comrades. _Oh hell... _

But the door opened. The one close the guards. And from it, came a familiar silver-haired priest.

"Get out of here Abel!" she screamed, not wanting him to join her in this trap.

Abel didn't give her a glance. His back turned to her, he faced the squad at an uncomfortably close distance. _What is the fool doing? _

"I suggest that you put down your weapons and allow us both to pass," Abel said cooly.

"HAH! Open fire!" the leader of the unit ordered.

A thunderous avalanche of fire sounded in the narrow hallway, the muzzle flashes like strobe-lights, and the rumbling blasts of fire sounding like some kind of natural disaster.

Astaroshe, eyes clouded for some strange reason, rushed forward. As she approached, she felt sick in the pit of her stomach as spouts of blood ejected from Abel's back, and chunks of flesh separated from his body.

Her feet refused to carry her another step forward.

Blood seeped from what was left of his standing body... quickly coming to where Astaroshe stood. She took a step back. Tears now formed in her eyes. She had forgotten the last time that she had actually cried, but she forgot to suppress them... this time. "Abel..." she whispered in a choked voice. Her voice cracked.

She was weak... so weak, but she made no attempt to rescue any sense of coldness. "Abel!" she said more urgently.

His body was smoking from the many hot bullets that were embedded in his flesh. She waited for his knees to bend... give way.

They didn't.

"What?" It was... Abel's voice.

Astaroshe narrowed her eyes, wiped a tear from her cheek, but she didn't know what to say. The guards looked on nervously. Some of them began to reload.

_What is there to say? What do I say? What did I want to tell him? _

She took a step forward... stepping into the puddle of blood that had actually started running back towards Abel, recollecting within him. She walked until she was just a few feet from him.

Jumping front kick.

Abel reeled, just having received a heeled kick to the head. "Owww!"

"Don't be an idiot!" Astaroshe said harshly. He turned around defensively.

Another guard fired, but Abel reached out and took the bullet in one arm without bothering to look, and then let the hand point aggressively at the guard's face. The guard didn't fire again.

Astaroshe felt the hesitation. Ironically, as one who faced death voluntarily, she felt hesitation. Staring into Abel's pure eyes, she felt ashamed. She let her head drop.

Then, cursing herself, she raised it again. _Screw it! _

"Abel, I love you."

His face showed confusion.

"I don't give a shit if you love me back. I just wanted to let you know that's how it is, whether you like it or not," she added sharply. She felt the nervousness pass... the hot fire that had raged in her stomach like a debilitating illness disappeared. Her blush went away. She stood tall. She was proud again.

Abel smiled, and nodded. "All right." He turned back to the guards threateningly. Astaroshe took his side. From the darkness of the door, she saw two familiar red eyes, a child's quick breathing, and the slight odor of vampiric blood. _Ion, I'm glad you decided to make the necessary sacrifice. _

"Now, how does that dropping-your-weapons offer sound now?" Abel squirmed his face in irritation, and spit out a bullet.

- - - - - - - - -

_(Inside one of the airships over Southeast Italy) _

"Oh... this is quite beautiful. It's... _modern _art!" the Contra Mundi agent said with glee in his eyes. "Could you perhaps glass that hamlet next? Yes, the one with the quaint little church..."

"I think we've made our point. Astaroshe is alive, after all," Seth mentioned.

The Contra Mundi agent narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, you didn't hear?" Seth piped in.

"No matter. They did kill a noble... Markizan Henarios."

"Yes... but he wasn't under orders. He was acting alone... as a rogue."

"If a certain someone were to hear that sentiment, he'd be quite upset."

The various vampires around Seth stiffened, recognizing the threat. Some of them glanced over to Seth, looking for approval to punish the offender, as they wondered, _Who dares threaten the empress? _

Seth called his bait. "I'd like to speak with Cain. Could you get him soon?"

The Contra Mundi agent's expression turned from arrogance to panic in a second. "He'd be very angry if he was summoned here. It would be very inconvenient..."

The vampires around the agent now drew blades. Eyeing Seth with even more urgency.

"Why?" Seth interrupted, "because he's in Albion? That's quite far, isn't it?"

The agent's eyes betrayed the truth. _So Cain is in Albion... with Abel. This is the time to do it. _

Seth nodded, and the many blades raised to strike. The Rozenkruez man was slain before he could scream.

"Turn the fleet around."

- - - - - - - - -

Note: Esther x Abel fans... be afraid. Be VERY afraid.


	32. Chapter 10: Section 2

Trinity Blood: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 10: This Is The End**

**Section 2: Those Weighty Sins  
**

Note: Sorry to keep you all waiting, especially you Krusnik02, for it seems you were the most eager of all. It is for you and others like yourself (though less vocal) that I shall endure.

Note: It seems that in most reviews, I get pairing details :P, and there are a bunch of female readers out there!

Understand, that I am of the opposite sex, and therefore entertainment is different for me. I want to see battle, war, and violence (descending order of importance), and map my story with visuals in my mind of people being de-limbed.

But I know I am writing for an audience... so please! Female readers, tell me what you like, and do not like, so I can learn your strange mysteries.

Note: As well-put and considerate your request was, Kurosaki-san, I quite humbly respond with just this... "Who knows?" Esther could pair up with Astaroshe ... (Wouldn't that be hawt?)

sometimes (as any writer can tell you) I don't even know what will happen!

- - - - - - -

_(Hispania)_

Leon panted nervously, at the mercy of the... incredibly sexy woman who currently held him down, who gently held his... well he had almost puked from the severe pain, but that wasn't that important, was it?_And on a bed no less. _

"So... that's the whole story," Leon finally said, concluding what had been a ten-minute explanation of his purpose in Spain.

"So... I'm guessing that the 'uptight broad', who 'raged all over you' before you left, and issued you the orders for this mission was the Cardinal and official Pope guardian, Caterina?"

"That might be a bit of a stretch," Leon muttered, feeling the first twinge of guilt for giving up classified information so easily. But what could he do... his boys were at stake.

"So there's another Vatican that could be described as a crazy 'monocle woman' with 'a gross amount of hair'?" Camilla asked, amused.

"Damn, I think I was too specific with the descriptions."

"So, you came here to spread dis-info for Albion?" Camilla asked. Without waiting for Leon's response, she fired off more questions, a nervous edge creeping into her tone. "It's no secret that Albion and the Vatican have grown close since the ex-nun became Albion's queen... answer me this... does the Vatican plan on attacking Hispania along with Albion?"

"No, you got it all wrong!"

Camilla sounded irritated. "I'm getting tired of the childish denials. If you want to act like a child, I will punish you like one."

"Is it legal to punish children like this?" Leon asked, incredulous. And then she twisted again. Leon muffled his shout on the bed-sheets.

Leon, breathing heavily, lifted his head up after a few seconds of laying completely still. "I don't expect you to believe me, but the Vatican has no interest to sabotage Hispania. I, Leon Garcia de Asturias, swear on this fact as a veteran of the Hispanian military." His voice, for the first time in the night, took on a serious, composed tone.

He felt the cold tickle of steel on his neck slacken just a bit as she thought about what he said. "Not enough proof for me," she said.

"Could you give me the benefit of the doubt?" Leon pled. He felt the steel lift from his neck completely.

"I'll go check out this Leon Garcia de Asturias, see if it's really you, and then I'll think it over. Meanwhile, I'll make sure every move you make it watched meticulously. I may let you leave with your life," She paused, but quickly added, "but only to keep our relations with the Vatican from souring, it's not because you're cute, or anything."

She got off of his back, and started to the exit. "Not my worst second date by a long shot," he called out.

"Oh ya! There actually was a deceased man with the name of Lewis, and he has a grandmother. She's coming here in about two hours."

_I am so screwed, _Leon thought to himself, but he couldn't keep himself from smiling.

- - - - - - - - -

_(In an airship above southern Italy) _

Seth's subordinates did not take long to dump the brutalized body of the Contra Mundi agent from the airship onto a terran city, where it probably fouled some poor terran's roof.

While Seth was glad to be rid of him, she knew her actions had raised the stakes. Now, Cain would most likely kill her if he got the chance, and she doubted, even with an entire empire at her disposal, that she could defeat him.

Despite her terror, she was exhilarated. _I know what it feels like, finally, to stand up like you have, Abel,_she thought to herself.

"How far are we from the Ionian sea?" Seth asked her navigator.

The Methuselah humbly bowed before speaking. "There is a minor problem in the navigation, your highness. My instruments tell me that we should be over the sea now."

Seth glanced out a small window, but only saw solid ground beneath them in all directions. _There's something wrong... _

Her suspicion evolved into panic when a tremendous jolt rocked the airship, and it began quickly losing altitude. As the ship leaned downward, warning lights and alarms sounded a confused chorus, a few men rolled down the plated floor, surprised by the sudden change in gravity. The rushing air howled past the ship as they fell like a rock.

"Pull up!" the captain shouted. One man gripped a handle and pulled up his arm shaking with exertion, but nothing happened. Another man came to assist him.

"Empress, we've lost control of our steering!"

"Empress, we've lost control of our altitude!"

"Empress, we've lost control of our speed!"

One by one, the various operators reported in the malfunctions that had occurred simultaneously, and worked quickly to fix them.

"Sir, we've lost control of our communications!" another operator shouted.

As they thundered down towards the ground, the screen in front of them flickered, and revealed a grinning man on the other side, who didn't waste much time to greet them.

"Seth-chan!" Endre called out joyfully. A vampire bodyguard at her flank visibly grimaced at the disrespect.

"Endre, I was under the impression that you were somewhere in a hole, dying." Seth replied coolly. _Endre, you have escaped certain death twice now. I shall remember not to make such a mistake a third time. _

"The Rozenkruez Orden takes care of its own. Despite their many faults, they at least have that virtue. Unlike you, Seth-chan, who sells out her own brethren for a few filthy _terrans_." Endre spat.

"Terran or Methuselah, there is no mistaking a sick, degenerate, scumbag as flamboyant as yourself, Endre."

Endre's eyes narrowed. "I shall enjoy watching you die." With that, the transmission ended with a pop of static. "Forty seconds to impact!"

The ground was rushing up at them very quickly now. _If I were to release at 80, I would definitely survive, _Seth reasoned.

Under increasing stress from the rushing air, the ship's hull groaned. She saw a terran operator in the corner cringe. He was a young man, no more than twenty. She did not know his name, nor anything else about him, except that he was scared. His hands clenched together, and his eyes raced from port to starboard. But he was just one. There were so many others...

They were powerless. But Seth had power. _He can do nothing. It is up to me to help these people... my children. _

"Do we have weapons?" Seth asked, straining her voice to be heard over the din.

As an answer, a single beam danced out from the front view, and then quickly disappeared into the distance. A half-second later, a thud sounded in the distance, accompanied by a comforting bright light. Seth looked out of the front view, and saw a towering peak.

"We're headed straight into the mountain!" one panicked operator cried out.

_And beyond the mountain... _Seth strained her eyes, and saw a faint glitter. Just beyond the foreboding peaks lay the Ionian sea, who's gentle waves would increase the chances of survival, especially if...

"Open fire with everything we have," Seth commanded.

She watched in earnest as multiple colored energy weapons, and solid projectiles lanced out from her towards the peak. The incredibly high-powered weapons jolted the ship back with each discharge, slowing it's descent and forward speed.

_I can only pray now, that I will be able to clear the top off of this mountain, and reduce our speed enough to save just a few of my children. _In the distance, an explosion sounded, and a flash of bright light caused many of the men to cringe.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_(Inside the Royal Palace of Albion) _

Astaroshe kept to the front, wielding her gleaming spear, her boots leaving wet bloody footprints.

They had started meeting the resistance of the Auto-Jaegers, Contra Mundi's staple foot soldier, and even a few terran agents.

"Keep up, you goof!" Astaroshe shouted over her shoulder.

Abel Nightroad had tripped over a body, and fallen face-first into a small pond of blood. However, he still managed to return Asta's smile.

"So where are we going?" she asked.

"Uh…," Abel fumbled to put his glasses back on, and wiped a streak of blood from over his eyes, "well, we should double back to the front Atrium. I think that's where Esther is."

_Esther_. Astaroshe felt a small bit of malice towards the silly terran girl, before brushing it off. _If I were in her situation, Abel would rescue me as well_. "Oh, and Asta-san! Watch out, Esther has been possessed by Dietrich."

Astaroshe grinned. "Then don't get upset if I get a little rough with her."

_Swish_. Astaroshe looked up in surprise. _What was that_? Moments later, the windows on both sides of the hallway shattered inward, raining the two of them with shards of broken glass, which reflected light like water droplets. _Was that a gust of wind?_

Astaroshe felt her legs leave the ground as Abel swept her onto the ground, shielding her with his own body, and then a solid impact as she hit the carpet. For a moment, she could see nothing, only feeling the warm body of the priest pressed on top of her's.

The light returned to her as he got up with his hands, his scalp bleeding from some wayward glass. "Thanks," Astaroshe whispered softly._There's no edge in my voice, I sound like a little girl_. Blushing, she rose to her feet.

"You go, Asta-san. I'll deal with this." Abel's voice had changed again.

As interested as she was to see the darker side of Abel which sent shivers of fear and excitement down her spine, she knew there were more pressing matters.

Asta nodded, and ran forward. Her boots crunched on the broken glass as she ran. She only glanced back to see a scythe materialize in Abel's hands.

- - - - - - - - - -

(_Outside the Royal Palace of Albion)_

Smoke rising from the Royal Palace had almost become a regular thing in Londinium, but every time, it drew a large crowd.

Like the other times, the Palace seemed to be a war-zone. Thuds sounded from the bowls of the mansion, and flames spread from building to building. But unlike the other times, black-clad guards stood watch around the perimeter of the Palace, keeping crowds of patriots at bay.

"Jacob, what the hell is going on in there?" Jacob's father questioned sharply.

Jacob, who had positioned himself upon his father's shoulders, squinted. "I can't see the details, but it's certainly a battle."

Jacob, having aged, no longer had the plump, innocent face of a child, but instead had a long scar which ran from his nose down to his jaw.

Jacob's father huffed, and glanced suspiciously at the black-clad guards. "Hey you! I want to talk to you!"

The strangely clothed figure turned it's head slowly and took a step forward. "Yeah you! Hurry the hell up!"

It took another step forward, and breathing steadily, it stared at him blankly.

"Why in the hell aren't you helping the queen?"

It remained silent.

"If you wont, I will, by God." Jacob's father announced, taking a step forward. In response, only the hooded figure's arm moved, grasping the handle of a large axe. It's eyes stayed on him with deadly precision.

"Go ahead Jacob," his father whispered.

As the Auto Jaeger lifted its axe above its head, a shot rang out. The crowd quieted.

A small stream of blood began to bubble from the reanimated soldier's neck. It's arm faltered, and the axe fell to the ground. The other silent guards stirred, and began to draw their weapons as well.

Half of the crowd panicked and ran, and the other half charged with their home-made weapons. Though poorly aimed, flurries of gunshots began to ring out. Jacob and his father charged the next closest Auto Jaeger with a group of other men.

It swept with it's axe, cutting through one torso, and the weapons of three men, but did not live long enough to swing again, as a crimson plume went into the air. The violence had spread all along the line, but the massive crowd quickly overwhelmed the meager defenders.

"GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!" Jacob screamed.

"GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!" scattered shouts sounded from the crowd.

"GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!" it had become a chant, this time only the most oblivious (or wounded) members of the crowd had joined in.

The chant descended to a dull roar, and the crowd raced over the neatly trimmed grass towards the royal mansion, and towards the smoke in the distance.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_(Inside the royal palace of Albion) _

Somewhere along in the fight, a fire had been lighted. Auto Jaegers rushed through the smoke, indiscriminately killing all non-Rozenkruez humans trapped inside. Thus, it was no surprise that the fire had been mostly ignored.

Astaroshe coughed from the heavy smoke, but walked on, letting the light at the tip of her spear guide her. The smoke was intrusive and debilitating, making her eyes water, and her lungs burn.

While lighting the way, her spear also made her a target to the Auto Jaegers.

She heard one coming from behind, and swung her spear and discharged. With a boom and a flash of light which for just a moment lit her path, a circular piece of the reanimated vampire was vaporized. With the joints which supported his legs no longer existing, the vampire fell onto itself like a hinge. Sprinkled into the burning acrid smell of the smoke came the scent of cooked flesh from the instantly cauterized wounds.

It was alive, but Astaroshe didn't have the time to deal with it, and so she moved on.

Footsteps rushed forward again, these more panicked. She could tell it was a terran even before he came into view. He didn't seem intent on stopping, so she grabbed his arm, stopping his flight. He struggled to get away, cursing loudly.

"Don't go that way!" Astaroshe warned.

Nodding earnestly, he still fought to get away. Sighing, Astaroshe let go, and he ran in the direction she had just told him to avoid.

He screamed quite loudly a few seconds later. The incapacitated Auto Jaeger had tripped him up, and seemed to be munching away. _Not my problem, _Astaroshe thought dismissively. As she walked, she eyed a painting on the wall which was dangerously close to being engulfed by the fire. It was an ancient painting, showing a still of a battle. It was grossly out of proportion, but something about it called out to her.

Astaroshe took it form the wall and lay it in the middle of the floor, facing up, in a pool of blood. She hoped it would protect the painting from the fire. Satisfied, she resumed her search.

She kept checking the rooms, glancing inside for a sign of something other than gore and frightened terrans, but Esther was elusive.

She finally came upon the last hallway.


	33. Chapter 10: Section 3

Trinity Blood: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 10: This Is The End**

**Section 3: Closing**

_(Inside the Royal palace of Albion) _

Astaroshe glided across the carpeted floor, listening intently as approached the last door in the hallway. Above the crackling of the fire, and screams of the wounded, she thought she had heard something vaguely familiar.

She pressed her ear against the door, and closed her eyes. After a few moments of concentration, she heard it again. Muffled and intelligible, but unmistakably Esther.

She backed up, and with a swift motion, heel-kicked the door right above the handle. She felt it give way from the weight of the kick, and splinter inwards. Alarmed, the voices stopped.

In the corner of the room, standing behind a wide desk, Esther initially gave Astaroshe a quick glare, but once she saw who it was, her eyes widened, and an excited grin came across her face. "Astaroshe Asran!"

In the hallway, a window shattered, and someone screamed.

Astaroshe remembered back to the last time she had seen Esther smile. Her face seemed so familiar... so gentle. "Esther, please come with me," Astaroshe said after a small, shocked hesitation. Esther dropped a small communication's device, and nodded.

But Esther paused, her mouth slightly agape. Astaroshe could see conflicting emotions swimming in her wide blue eyes, and her hand clench down. Her gaze dropped to the ground, and she bit her lip.

"Kill me, Asta-san," she muttered darkly.

Astaroshe watched, taken aback, as her right hand began to twitch. Blood began to drip down from her small, closed fist.

"Esther are you..." Astaroshe began, taking a step forward.

"I'm fine!" Esther snapped, releasing her fist, and looking back up into Astaroshe's eyes innocently. "Uhh.. I mean, I'm fine, but this is all really upsetting for me," she said again meekly, smiling nervously.

Astaroshe was concerned, but it seemed like Esther had regained her composure. _Dietrich, possessing her? It seems more like she is going nuts. Abel must have been mistaken... Dietrich has no wires attached to Esther, and the body is obviously still alive. _

"All right then, follow me."

Astaroshe turned, expecting the hard willed Esther she remembered to soon be on her heels. The same Esther who so tenaciously followed Abel from place to place, always there when Astaroshe wanted to just see him alone. Always butting in and keeping Astaroshe from learning that one next secret which she felt would allow her to finally understand the grey-haired priest. Astaroshe clenched her teeth, but remembered her mission from Abel. She could not afford to...

_Bang_. A silver bullet entered through Astaroshe's back, tearing a pathway through muscle and organ, and then punched out of the front of her body, splattering her royal blood onto the splintered door in front of her.

Falling to her knees, she felt dizzying pain come from the wound. Warm blood seeped from where her hands tried to keep the wound closed.

"Strange, I aimed for your heart," Esther mused. "Well then I'll just have to... uhhhhhhh aaaaaHHHH!" Esther began to scream, and fell to her knees.

Astaroshe let out a enraged yell and leapt from her kneeling position onto her feet. Esther glanced up only momentarily, her eyes soft and pleading as Astaroshe rushed forward.

Penned rage boiled over in Astaroshe's body. She barely hesitated before punching Esther solidly in the face. She felt the Queen's nose break from the hit, and she was strewn across the room like a rag doll.

Esther mumbled, disoriented, and tried to pull herself away, but Astaroshe descended upon her and grabbed her by the hair. Pulling harshly, she lifted Esther back to her feet, and then, releasing her, she spun around and delivered a back-kick to Esther's solar plexus before Esther had the chance to slump to the ground.

Another crack sounded. This time it was a rib.

By any rational reasoning, it was time for Astaroshe to stop, but she wasn't feeling rational. She kept swinging, kicking, pulling, scratching...

By the time she finished, she was breathing heavily. Panting, she tried to wipe Esther's slick blood from her hands, but this only smeared it around.

She took a glance at Esther's face, and suddenly felt nauseous. Her nose had been broken inward, almost to her face, and slick blood dripped down in all directions. Then Astaroshe felt shame. _How am I going to tell Abel? _

Quickly, she hoisted Esther onto her back. _I'll tell him that she resisted. _

But something didn't sit right in her gut. She turned around, and looked at the bloody face of the girl she now held.

"I'm sorry," she said hopefully, but the Queen showed no signs of having heard the apology.

So Astaroshe set off, brushing aside her concern to concentrate on escaping out of the palace.

- - - - - - - - - - -

_(On the coast of the Ionian sea) _

_If the circumstances were different, it would almost be a pleasant afternoon_, Seth mused. Almost like a vacation spot. Actually, there was a charred ruin on one of the gentle hills overlooking the beach. Perhaps before it was glassed, that ruin had been a vacation home.

Indeed, behind them a few rocky mountains cast a long shade across the beach, topped with scattered trees. Running between two mountains was a gentle river, and the sun rested above the calm waters of the sea, making the water sparkle.

The sun. It would not affect Seth, who was of a different breed, the Krusnik, but the Methuselah with her would be lost with just a few second's exposure, those that were still alive, anyway.

She looked back at the craft. To make sure, she had released at 80 a moment before impact, and by the look of the damage, she had made a good decision. The remaining top of the mountain had given the bottom of the craft a long, jagged scar, which spilled personnel and vital equipment. There had been fires, but Seth had dealt with those using just a bit of frost. Most of the hallways were exposed to the sun by a twisted metal frame, and the once tidy, modern cockpit was a heap of smoking computers.

The vampires had begun to stir, groggily lifting their heads. Some started standing, holding themselves up with their arms. Seth stood in front of them, still wearing the Empresses veil that she almost always donned.

There was a particular human who caught her eye. A twisted-off steel support had stapled him to the deck, impaling his chest. Despite the heat, he was shivering. Seth walked over, and knelt down beside the young human.

"I'm sorry, Empress," he whimpered.

Silently, Seth reached down, and with a swift motion, she removed her veil. The terran's eyes shot open in momentary shock, but grew cloudy again from the pain. Rising, she rummaged through the rooms, looking for a medical kit. She knew she had them installed.

The young terran was in incredible pain. He wondered if delirium had damaged his mind, but had he just seen the Empresses' face? She seemed to be a child no older than fifteen. _No older than my youngest daughter. _

As he dwelt on this, she returned. He found that he had not been delirious, that the empress had indeed removed her veil. With gentle hands, she administered a painkiller, and then with stronger hands, she pulled the metal spike from his chest. He began to bleed profusely, and his vision blurred, but he would not let himself go unconscious.

Even as he stared in her direction, Seth said nothing, but continued to work dutifully. A crowd gathered around the Empress, awed at her appearance, and how furiously she was working to save this one Terran's life.

"Excuse me, Empress... but it seems that a crowd has been gathering outside. It probably wont be long before Vatican units attack this place," one Methuselah guard announced with a usual balance of reverence and timidity.

"You're in charge of the ship until I'm done with this," Seth answered calmly.

- - - - - - - -

_(Within the Cardinal Assembly in the Vatican) _

General Christianson himself had been summoned by the Cardinals to explain the situation in the south, and although Caterina knew that the New Human Empire did not really desire war, she knew that the Cardinals, like the restless populace in the city itself, would demand action.

In direct response to the aggression, so many men, women, and even children had requested to join the Vatican army, Inquisition, and intelligence services that recruitment had been maxed out. The organizations simply didn't have the ability to train or even equip the potential new members, even with the dramatic increase in contributions from Rome's elite.

Those who couldn't find a place in the war-effort, joined and created militias.

There was one problem.

"We will not mobilize our military," Alessandro stated.

It had been the Pope's first words of the meeting. The Cardinals seemed taken aback, and chattered nervously among themselves. "Sir, that is unacceptable," one finally announced, standing up from his seat.

"They have announced their intentions to cease all hostilities, and put an end to this conflict," Alessandro explained.

Caterina was still amazed at the level of intellectualism Alessandro had begun to display in the last few months. His experiences had matured him greatly beyond his years.

The Cardinals were not nearly as impressed. "They have attacked us without provocation, and to not respond with force would not set a good precedent. It would be better to attack now, in the daylight, as their forces retreat in disorder."

"That is indeed a good point, Fernando, but the consequences of a greater war would be more devastating than just a few coastal towns and cities," Alessandro replied.

Caterina bowed her head in disappointment. _A great mis-step, Alessandro. _

"Would you brush aside so easily ten-thousand souls?" Fernando demanded.

"I would-," Alessandro began, but he was cut off.

"I believe you have proven to this Assembly that you are not fit to rule this nation!" Swept up in the fervor, the Cardinals began to boo the Pope, who, despite his pale face, blushed in embarrassment.

"That's enough! Need I remind you all of the authority of the Pope?" Caterina questioned.

"The Pope's authority has been overstepped many times as of late!"

Caterina clenched her fist. There would, of course, be no fighting in the assembly itself, but she could now expect his militias to be summoned to Rome, and the public would certainly be supportive of his views, even if it meant open opposition to the Pope himself. However, in the chaos, general Christianson met her eye and winked reassuringly. _It would seem... a loyal turncoat. _

- - - - - - - - - - - -

_(Inside the Royal Palace of Albion) _

"You seem unusually reserved, brother," Cain said softly, running a single hand through his hair. The hallway they stood in had all windows blown in, and a sizeable hole in the ceiling, but besides that it was untouched. Paintings and vases adorned the walls, and the flames were still far off.

Abel breathed heavily. His transformation to 80 had been almost involuntary. He wondered, with a sudden twinge of shame, if Asta had seen this form, but that was quickly swept away by the hate he felt for the one that stood before him.

They had fought too many times. Each time Abel had been close enough to killing Cain that he could see just another mere blow finishing him off, but each time he had fell short.

Seeing that Abel was not going to converse with him, Cain's eyes darkened. "Shall we?"

Abel charged, cloak streaming behind him, flapping... it was slowing him down, so he let it free. Cain began firing well aimed shots, and Abel began to block. The two began their duel, already wary of each other's tactics, but not able to counter the other decisively.

Abel blocked a shot, and dodging to the left, he swung across Cain's body. He blocked it effortlessly with his own weapon, but the force of the downward sweep drove Cain's feet through the wooden floor. Abel felt excitement surging through him knowing that Cain was immobilized, and swung for his head.

Cain ducked, and rolled from his position, firing again. This time, the shot grazed Abel's hip. Abel winced, feeling a sizable chunk separate from his body, and his underclothing catch fire, but a moment's hesitation meant death.

He jumped again, vaulting over another large shot which was headed to cut him in half. Cain was grinning now, firing wildly.

Abel kept dodging, and then gave a large mental push, filling the air with electricity. Targets fell, but Cain remained standing. Abel hadn't realized, but sometime during their fight, another fight had washed over them.

Auto Jaegers clashed with a much larger human mob. The humans were driving them back, and streaming into the hallway, but they had just stumbled upon a fight that was on a completely different level. Most of them, concentrated in a bristling formation of clubs and guns, were behind Abel.

However, Abel didn't have much time to think, as he faced a bright light coming straight at his head. He let his legs give way, and the shot soared just over him, striking into the crowd behind. There was a large collective yell as an entire line of humans fell to the ground, holes burned through their torsos.

Cain aimed again with deliberate sluggishness.

"Going to keep dodging, brother? How much is your life worth?" Cain mocked, squeezing off another shot.

This one was much easier to dodge, but Abel watched it soar by, striking the crowd again. Another score fell. There were children among them. He could hear sobbing.

The rage began to subside, as he felt empathy towards the humans that suffered, knowing that it was _his fault. _

When Cain aimed again, Abel couldn't bring himself to dodge.

- - - - - - - -

_(Inside his Holiness' chambers of the Vatican) _

Sister had given him his usual post-meeting run-through, reiterating everything as if he were an idiot. He hated how everyone thought so little of him. He had seen the opposition's claims, that he was a puppet of his sister. While she had been helpful, Alessandro knew that it was his decisions that had been defining the Vatican for the last few months.

It was him who had jump-started the reconstruction program, going there in person with oils on his skin to prevent the sun from burning him alive, and actually helping remove debris with the workers, raising their spirits.

Alessandro had been working day and night to salvage the mess that was the Vatican, under threat from all sides. He barely got an hour of sleep each night...

Retiring to his room, he shut his curtains, took his glass of blood, and began to work. He began writing, issuing new orders and congratulations to the workers rebuilding Venicerewarding them with a case of wine from the Vatican's own personal stash.

Lots of money had needed to be shifted from things like the arts, and unnecessary elaborate rituals, into money for subsidized farming, and rebuilding. They had complained, but it needed to be done.

He paused when he heard three knocks on the door. It was their secret code. _She's here. _


	34. Chapter 11: Section 1

Trinity Blood: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 11: Deus Ex Machina**

**Section 1: What's in that box? **

_(In the Pope's personal quarters) _

Alessandro smiled broadly, making his way with solid, deliberate steps to his chamber's doorway, where he knew she would be waiting on the other side.

"Rodrigo, you are dismissed," he said coolly. The bodyguard, a tall, trained veteran of the Inquisition bowed his head and made his way to the back exit.

Some wry Cardinals had the bodyguard appointed, and made sure of his loyalty to them, so if Alessandro ever got out of line, they could have him executed, a coup d'état.

However, just a few days into the bodyguard's appointment, Alessandro had found the leverage they were using, his daughter, and had her name changed, and had her personally put as a nun in his direct care.

Thankful and relieved, the bodyguard was now his. _Just another pawn they wanted to use and throw away._

Alessandro hated the Cardinals. Even now, they plotted ways to create power for _themselves _to go around his back.

The worst part of it was that they were doing this to better their own interests. Ever since Alessandro had begun asking them and the rich elite to contribute to the war effort… Ever since he cut money from lavish programs and parties and redirected it into reconstruction and warfare, they had begun trying to usurp him.

In the last meeting, they had nearly called for an open rebellion. It made Alessandro want to kick a hole in his wall. _While they squabble over what power they would have in the "new" Vatican, and as they try _

_to profiteer off of the chaos, I have been fighting for the people, _Alessandro thought, enraged. _Why can't they do the same as I!?_

Rodrigo's daughter, Pamela, gave him an earnest smile when he opened the door, and bowed politely. "Come in sister, by all means," Alessandro said.

--

_(Inside the royal Palace of Albion) _

When Abel had dodged the previous shot, it had killed at least a score of the crowd, silencing their screams with a single resounding crash, moistening the air with plumes of their blood, and hurling a few intact body parts.

Instead of dodging the next shot, Abel brought his scythe down through the fast-moving, intense crimson mass. Rubble and debris shot up on either side of him, whipping his loose clothing into the air, and shattering windows on either side. The crowd behind him stared in awe at the winged, black angel that had just saved their lives.

The air itself was singed where Cain's shot had passed, Abel faintly smelled the Ozone.

At this point, the last of the Auto Jaegers were either dead or incapacitated behind still smoking chunks of rubble blown out by the earlier explosions. One stumbled on a single foot for a few seconds before falling with a thud.

The mob that had once been charging to senselessly into battle to liberate the Queen, found that they had stumbled upon a battle far beyond their power as mere Terrans. They slowly drew away, as if some collective creature slinking away from a predator far superior.

Abel did not turn his concentration from Cain for an instant, his glowing red eyes the only thing burning through the swirling smoke with a familiar hatred.

Laughing, Cain fired a shot into a distant crowd on the other side of the room. Abel swung his scythe, and the power from the attack shattered priceless paintings and collapsed a section of reinforced wall in the direction of the shot, which blossomed into a splintering fireball when Cain's shot struck it. The intended targets of the blast stood motionless, aware of how powerless they were against such forces as burning bits of wood fell around them like a soft rain.

Jacob's father could feel death's pull on his gut each time the Angel had fired, but the demonic figure had blocked each shot. Although he/it was hard to distinguish from the smoke and pulverized wall which clouded his view, he recognized his defender.

"It's him," he said to his son. His son nodded, his hand brushing over the scar on his wrist that just a year ago, Abel had inflicted upon him.

"Should we fire, dad?" the child asked, confused. He still hefted a handheld pistol, which was cocked and ready.

"No… that demon is defending us," Jacob's father said, his eyes getting moist.

"THE DEMON IS WITH THE QUEEN!" Jacob's father shouted, tears now rolling down his face. He did not know why he was crying, if it was out of shock, regret, or even exuberation. All he knew was that all their hopes rested on the wings of one black-winged vampire.

The crowd cheered, and some began to fire on Cain, black powder shots ringing out from Abel's either side. Hearing the shouts of the crowd, Abel's hatred gave way to a different feeling. He was no longer fighting for her, nor was he fighting to appease the furnace of his own hatred.

He was fighting for everyone.

"Find the Queen," he said, still keeping his focus on Cain. "I'll deal with _him._"

"You heard the De-… man!" Jacob piped up, raising his gun to the air. "Let's go!"

The crowd ran to different directions, washing away from the blackened, destroyed hallway which marked the limits of their Arena.

--

_(In the Pope's chambers in the Vatican) _

The newly anointed sister, Pamela, looked very beautiful in her blue robes, and with her long black hair tucked back neatly except for a few strands which hung, almost by accident over her slender, gentle face. She was 19 years old, and was enrolled in a Vatican school for the gifted, which was called the Rhetoria. The Cardinals had used the school as a prison for her in order to ensure her father's loyalty.

She beamed nervously, pausing and waiting for him to speak.

"What where you studying at the Rhetoria, Pamela?" Alessandro asked inquisitively.

She paused just a moment to think, probably checking on the respectfulness of her response. "I was studying for singing and artwork, your holiness" she replied meekly. She looked away from him, and studied the patterns on the carpeted floor.

Alessandro became self-conscious, wondering if perhaps she found him scary. His skin was noticeably pale, despite the measures he took to camouflage it. His features looked made almost out of ivory, which shone bright and glossy in the fake like of the room. Perhaps the dark robes he was wearing made him seem ominous. He was different from her in one fundamental, unavoidable way, and that any real human bond impossible. He stiffened at the thought, at the _unfairness _of the whole idea.

Looking away himself, Alessandro stepped towards the window, knowing that the damp rays that filtered through would be the closest he could ever safely get without enough ointment to gloss his skin. Even beneath the slight glow of the sun, his demonic skin began to itch.

He was pained with the conversation, but he decided stubbornly to at least ask the questions he had memorized to himself in anticipation of her coming. "I told your father that a guest would be meeting me, I didn't tell him who," Alessandro said quietly. "I wanted you to tell me exactly how you felt about this situation, and how it pertains to you, and your interests. Not mine, or your fathers." He paused, feeling the futility of reaching her. "How do you feel about it?"

She paused a moment, and then he saw a dim energy begin to burn in her eyes. "I hate it," she said firmly. "At the school, they kept an eye on me, but they let me learn to sing and draw, and now I am stuck in here, in this cage, just because of your political ambitions. That's what I think!" As she finished, the fire in her eyes burned out, and she was left looking a bit surprised at herself. "Your holiness.." she added carefully, demeanor now completely shifted back to obsequiousness.

Alessandro smiled broadly, connecting his gaze with her's. It was the first time in a while someone had spoken their mind to him.

_Well, _he thought, remembering the Cardinal College and his mother.

It was the first time she'd spoken her mind to him, and for some reason that was all that mattered.

Alessandro's mind raced. Pamela was such a beautiful… intelligent young girl, she deserved the best education, and in a way she was right. It was his greed which caused her to lose that ability.

"I cannot have the best tutors in Rome come to see one of my servants, that would really create suspicion, and it would endanger you," Alessandro said, watching as she continued to gloomily mull her feet on the ground, keeping her lowered head fixed on them.

"But I could hire them to teach me, and if you were to enter the room as you did just now, you could take the lessons yourself… maybe allow me to learn a thing or two as well?" Alessandro asked hopefully.

She stopped her foot in mid-drag, at first registering no emotion. But a beautiful smile flowered on her face. "Thank you!" She cried out.

Rushing forward, she gave him a warm hug, and then awkwardly pulled away. Alessandro opened his eyes slowly, smelling the slight fragrance of her blood through her skin. But more enticing was the warmth she'd shown him, when no one else had ever cared how he thought or felt.

"cya!" she whopped, exiting the room. He could hear her energetic footsteps scurry out down the hallway, as he touched his shoulder where she had embraced him.

"Good-bye sister Pamela," he whispered with a sigh, knowing she could not hear it. _Nor will she ever, _he thought. And suddenly, the warmth of the hug was gone. He slammed his fist into the table and shrugged off a few gathering tears.

--

_(On a beach near the Ionian sea) _

Seth, using her training as a doctor, operated quickly. The man's stomach had been ruptured in the crash, and now stomach acid was running freely in his gut. She cleaned it out, and then, giving herself a needle she began working to seal it without causing any more damage.

She bumped a cracked rib, causing it to break off of the ribcage, and fall into the mess of his organs. He was shivering now, and undoubtedly his blood pressure was dropping.

He was going to die.

The vampires watched in awe, the Empress had unveiled herself, and even more strange, she was operating on a mere terran in the sunlight, and the sun was not damaging her. That was not true even for the most powerful vampires.

That meant she was not one of them.

They cowered in the shade, knowing they should avert their eyes, but not able to tear their gazes away from the scene.

"Martha…" he whispered. The impaled Terran was shivering now as severe shock set in. Seth could not repair the damaged organs quickly enough. He was slipping.

"Marthhhaaa please," he whimpered under his breath. His eyes opened groggily and he put a single arm on Seth's shoulder, squeezing. He was sinking into the depths of death and he held onto her shoulder so he wouldn't slip too far from the surface. A tear slipped from his eye.

His eyes were faint, but an intense desire showed through them.

_Who was Martha_? Seth wondered as she began to sew up his skin. _Was she his wife, his child, his lover?_

"Someone turn him!" Seth cried out. She could sacrifice hundreds in battles, and each time they were men on paper, men she'd met once or twice to dinner, knowing that their deaths were for the greater good, but there was no _good _in death. And now she could not let this one subordinate slip away.

His eyes fluttered closed, and his body began to sag down towards the ground, muscles giving way the stubborn tug of gravity.

She grabbed him and dragged him through the sand, bringing him to the shadows where the stunned vampires were watching. "TURN HIM!"

"Are you certain, you.. you're holin-" one man stammered. The rest had not even mustered up the mind to form words.

"Yes I'm certain! We've lost many vampire nobles lately, we need replacements!" It was a weak rationalization. Who was this man? What were his credentials? But none of that mattered. Seth was determined at least to save one life today.

The scared subordinate blinked rapidly, as if trying to clear his vision as he stared on her, and then awkwardly bent himself down over the Terran's neck.

Satisfied, Seth stood up and let herself relax, but she soon heard the faint strum of airships coming from the east, from over the sea.

"Help has arrived!" one slender vampire shouted, his fanged mouth turned up in a relieved smile. But then, the miniguns mounted on their fronts began to spin. Just bits of glinting steel, distorted by the waves of sluggish heat, but enough for Seth's keen vision.

"Everyone down!" Seth shouted.

The orden ships sprayed the wreckage with gunfire, kicking up sand from the beaches with sharp claps like some fast moving invisible demon, which drew ever closer. The steel began to clang and rattle as the first rolling swath struck it, punching holes in the steel, and holes in the survivors. The vampires were not affected as much by the steel bullets, but a few surviving Terrans were struck with solid fleshy hits and fell screaming to the dirt.

The gunships passed by, and made a turn for another round of fire, but Seth's eyes flashed red and instantly the air around the ships went sub-zero. Fuel lines instantly froze, and steering jammed up. The gunships' thrum died as the propellers quit and they fell like golden rocks out of the sky.

Ejection systems failed and they crashed onto the deadly rocks, exploding into plumes of flame, and rolling down the mountain, scorching the earth as they passed.

Only one ship ejected, and Seth immediately froze the man in the air he was flying. He fell stiffly to the ground in his parachute and shattered like brittle ice when he hit. Seth had no mercy in her heart for the bullies of this world. Not even a fraction the mercy she felt for her loyal servants.

--

_(Inside the Royal palace of Albion) _

Astaroshe bent over the crumpled form of Esther and tried to wipe the slick blood away, but rag after rag came away bright and dripping with crimson.

Her face was broken and bleeding in so many ways, Astaroshe could not begin to count the wounds she'd inflicted on Esther. "I'm so sorry," Astaroshe whispered.

Then she found the bleeding wound on Esther's neck. She froze, eyes suddenly shooting wide open in fear. It was the same wound Endre had inflicted upon _him, _the arterial bleeding was almost always deadly.

Panicking, she began to rip her own clothes, exposing her smooth pale skin as she ripped away bits of black fabric from her skirt, and clenched them over the wound, applying pressure until Esther nearly began to choke. Blood began to bubble from her lips as her mouth noiselessly formed words.

Then, Astaroshe saw it. There was a red mark on Esther's neck. Looking closer, Astaroshe found that it wasn't a wound she'd inflicted upon Esther. It was a mating mark.

When young adolescent vampires engaged in sexual activity, they marked their mates, tasting their blood, not to the point where Esther could get infected, but now her and Ion had formed a blood bond. Even now, Esther's scent was filling the mansion, and if Ion even caught a wiff of it, he'd arrive in a complete, incoherent rage.

And once he found her in this distressed state, he would kill anything that threatened his mate.

Astaroshe had to stay and keep Ion under control. She looked out of the doorway, watching Albion's militias run past, shouting and firing weapons, as they killed and were killed in the chaotic battle.

There were many lives to protect. But first, she'd have to get the bleeding under control.


	35. Chapter 11: Section 2

Trinity Blood: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 11: Deus Ex Machina**

**Section 2: Dies Illa**

**Reader. Before you read the story, please follow these instructions. This is something I am requesting in order that you may feel this next section as I did, the true emotions. Some may regard this as weakness… maybe even a slip in writing ability, but I assure you, it is not, and if you follow my instructions and do not let curiousity get the better of you, it will be worth it. **

**Go to youtube, Type in "Am I not merciful" into the search box, and click on the top result. Wait for the entire video to load without listening to it. Turn your volume up at least halfway, although three-fourths of the way is probably even better When it is loaded go to 3:20 in the video, and wait. When I instruct in the story, press play. Thank you. **

**If you have read this and you will follow the instructions, I thank you. Although I am sure most will not do this extra step, and I also understand that as well.**

_(Inside the Cardinal's private quarters in the Vatican) _

Caterina rubbed her legs, sore from the long walk she had just taken along the fields on the outskirts of the Vatican. Her security detail had told her to stop these ill-advised walks, considering the enemies she faced in the Cardinal College, however, she just didn't feel at peace without them.

Rubbing a sore spot on one thigh, she gave herself a more thorough look, and then a whim struck.

Walking to her bedroom, she took a second to look at herself in the mirror. She wondered for a long moment, if she was attractive. She straightened her back and ran a stiff finger through her long curly hair, and then removed the large hat which donned her head.

Her face was sharp with determination, but also pensive, as if pondering some of life's more pressing problems. Turning to each side with a suggestive tug at the hips, she saw that her legs were slender and soft, showing just a bit in her long, crimson skirt. As she gave herself another long look, she found a small crease in her forehead.

She opened her eyes wide and leaned closer to the mirror to see if she was just squinting too hard, but found the crease always came back. _It must be the stress, _she thought, as she watched her sharp features sag with sadness.

Discontent was stirring in Rome against Alessandro, and Caterina's attempts at keeping order were being construed as tyranny. Penis. Something big was on the way, and all of AX was off, keeping the Contra Mundi threat contained.

She walked over to the bed and fell down, letting the push of the bed against her chest comfort her, but it wasn't enough. She reached over, and with an outstretched arm, brought a soft, golden pillow against her breast and squeezed, feeling the push against her as if it were a warm body.

She closed her eyes at the sensation, relaxation and comfort outweighing the bitterness that this was the only way which she had felt comforted in so long… angry that she was getting creases on her forehead while Abel seemed only to age a year.

Yes… Abel. She let out a slow sigh. There was a way that that man's insolence could piss her off so much, because being irritated at him was easier than how she felt when he was gone. She squeezed the pillow a little more. _Much easier. _

Everyone had always asked so much of her. Nations had relied upon her, but what did any of that accomplish? No one cared about her a fraction of the amount she cared for her entire country. "Life…" Caterina whispered to herself. "Life is so fickle."

--

_(Inside the Royal palace of Albion)_

Astaroshe continued to work furiously to control the bleeding, knowing that time was of the essence for more reasons than one. Esther's grip was failing.

The silver bullet Esther had shot through Asteroshe's chest was also bleeding profously, because the silver particles were making any rapid regeneration impossible.

So, biting her lip, Astoroshe reached inside the wound with her finger and did her best to clean out the silver, letting out a gasp as she retracted it covered with her own blood.

After a few agonizing minutes, the bleeding had slowed considerably, but Astaroshe did not know if this was due to clotting, and her efforts to control the bleeding, or due to a dangerous lack of blood in Esther's circulation. "Stay with me Esther," Astaroshe whispered, not sure if Esther could hear it, but hoping desperately that she could.

It was at this time that Astaroshe figured out that this all was well over her head. "HELP. WE NEED A DOCTOR!" Her screams barely sounded over the din of the battle, and the chances of finding a doctor who was free in a warzone were slim.

She screamed herself ragged, but the passing militia did little but glance inside and continue on. _Why were all these militia even here? _Astaroshe remembered.

"THE QUEEN IS IN DANGER!" When she screamed, her voice could take on a completely different tone, going from her normally cool and tense tone into a much deeper throaty yell.

She heard her call echoed through the hallways by other fighters, and soon a man was at the doorway. "GET A DOCTOR!" Astaroshe yelled.

She held the Queen's hand, whispering reassurances. _Don't die. Please don't die. _

It must have been only minutes before the doctor arrived, ushered in by a few militiamen. He was covered with other people's blood and carried a suitcase full of equipment. He was a lanky, glasses covered man, who despite his innocent appearance, had a pistol strapped to his back.

"I'm doctor Levit, I run a practice out of Londinium," the man said to reassure Astaroshe, who's eyes, usually catlike and judging were now open wide with fear.

"You've taken quite a hit to the chest, probably just missed your lungs by a millimeter. I judge from your clothing and the fact that you aren't in shock right now that you are a Methuselah, dear?" he said quickly.

Astaroshe nodded, causing the militiamen to bristle.

"Well then," he said. "Her Excellency, Queen Esther seems to have an arterial rupture on the carotid caused by a slash of a semi-sharp instrument," he said, checking her pulse as he wheeled out a long rubber tube with a ball at the end. He quickly fastened a strap at the other end around her arm as he caught his breath, "and blunt force trauma to the head resulting in broken nose."

He pumped the tube, until the pouch which encircled her arm bulged. "As well as a score of small lacerations to the face." He checked a gauge on the strap, and then sighing, began to change the bandages.

"I'd like to ask you to apply preasure if you would. No… yes right there." The militiamen were two middle aged men, rough shaven, and mildly obese, and they understood the gravity of the situation.

"Did you bleed on the Queen?" the doctor asked as he worked.

"What?" Astaroshe said, still dazed.

"It's not a hard question!" the doctor snapped.

"Uhh… I don't know," she admitted.

"With these wounds I don't think our dear queen could handle being turned to a vampire, and it would make my operation extremely complicated. Did you bleed on her?"

"Maybe…" Astaroshe said distantly.

"That wench did this to her Excellency," one of the men said, pointing a stubby finger at Astaroshe. She was still looking on in a distant fright, a ghost in her long black robes. Esther's blood was dripping feebly from where they gathered at the tips of Astaroshe's fingers.

"Hold the wound…" the doctor insisted calmly.

"Aye!" the other militiaman agreed. "Look at the bitch's hands, they're covered in 'er blood!"

The first man drew his weapon. Astaroshe felt the urge to run forward and break the terran's wrist, but for some reason, her limbs didn't seem to want to move. She breathed calmly, and looked down the barrel of the gun pointed at her, her keen vision seeing the reflective silver bullet chambered in it. _I don't want to hurt people anymore. No one else deserves getting hurt today. _

"Don't ya dare an' fuckin' move, ya' get me?" the bearded one said almost in a growl. She was so tired of being powerful. She nodded again. She would find a way to solve this without violence.

"Take of yer clothes, bitch!" the other man said, with a grin which showed a bloody mouth and a few missing teeth. She almost considered doing it. What was her pride worth anymore? What was her role of a noble worth. These people… these terrans were her people, she'd just never realized it.

"Calm down man, keep the pressure on the Queen's wound," the doctor insisted, but he was drowned out.

"Show me your vampire breasts!" he said with a chuckle. _Bloodlust. They aren't used to all this adrenaline and killing. The shock of all this death has killed their sense of decency. This isn't their fault. I'll find a way to make them calm down. _

Before Astaroshe could think of how to react without injuring anyone else, the door broke inward, and Ion stood, panting at the doorway. "It's one of her friends!" the bearded militiaman exclaimed angrily.

Ion's narrow, predatory eyes located Esther. The moment he saw her condition and the other males that were touching her, whatever was left of his sanity left him.

Letting out a howl, he charged. Astaroshe, still thinking slowly, in shock of what happened didn't have time to shout or even move before the Terran fired a silver bullet. It struck her in a place she had never allowed a Terran to even aim, her heart. She clutched the spot, not willing to believe what had happened, and drew her wobbling hand back up to see it covered with her own blood. "Why?" she whispered, but no sound came out, only blood, pouring from her lips like vomit.

--

_(In a military Convoy heading towards Madrid, Spain) _

The ride from the commercial Zone was a bumpy one, especially in their armored vehicles. They were brand new additions to the Hispanian military, five inches of steel armored the outside, and their thick rubber tires could run even when flattened. Bristling on all sides were armored gun positions, protected slots that the soldiers inside could fire from without much real danger of enemy fire. Solving problems in visibility was a optical scope which the men inside could look out of and see the outside clearly down the barrel of their weapon, while not actually exposing their eyes to the outside air.

But the diesel engine, chosen because it was not explosive like gasoline, rumbled like a small monster, banging the floor and putting heavy vibrations through the vehicle.

Leon was feeling a little queasy, but even more distressing. They'd thrown all his equipment in a bag at the back, and there were live rocket launcher missiles banging around back there. _What could happen though… _

Leon smiled at Camilla across the armored vehicle, giving her a suggestive eye raise. _She is so attractive! _Leon thought to himself. _And I'm gonna score!_ She looked very cute in her uniform, her shining brown hair was pushed back so that it fell out of the back of her military cap, and the humidity caused her brown uniform to cling to her slender frame.

He gave Camilla another wink, but in all the bustle she didn't seem to notice it. He was certain she wasn't ignoring him.

"Hey!" Leon said with a confident nod.

Camilla rolled her eyes and looked at him for the first time during the trip. She'd been ignoring his pathetic advances for almost an hour now, but he didn't seem to know how to quit. "Only reason you're not dead is because you served in the military here. You're probably still going to get tortured."

"You going to do some more naked torture with me?" Leon asked, raising his eyebrows hopefully.

"No. This torture will be done by intelligence officers, and it usually involves knives and blunt instruments."

"Attractive intelligence offi-?"

"No. I think his name is Franco Mendez. We compared notes a few months back. He's overweight and has a butt-chin."

"Oh…" Leon's eyes trailed down in disappointment.

"Ma'am, if we go this way, we're going to need to go off the main road!" the driver called back from the front, shouting so he could be heard over the rumbling engine.

"Understood, do what you need to do!" Camilla called back.

"Why are we going the bumpy way?" Leon complained.

Camilla shot him a annoyed-glare. "Because Albion nuked us on the non-bumpy way, and it's currently radiated."

"Well actually Rozencruez Orden terrorists were the ones who…" He stopped as Camilla's eyes spoke of painful death. "Yeah…."

"We're entering the forest back-road now!" the driver announced. The ride suddenly got a lot more bumpy as the wheels of the vehicle trampled over thickly settled roots and strewn logs. Metallic instruments in the vehicle began to rattle, and one harsh bump actually caused one of the gunners to miss-fire.

"Safety your weapon!" Camilla shouted.

"Aye, sorry ma'am!" he replied.

Leon began to feel a strange sensation at the back of his neck. One that he sometimes felt when he was hungry, but also one he felt when he was in imminent danger.

Determined to figure out which sensation it was, he leaned over to one of the female gunners. She was a cute blonde one, with hair splashing down out of her hat at all points. She was bored, and was munching a little bar of chocolate.

"Can I share your sight?" Leon asked clearly, but not too loud, trying to keep a semblance of his charm.

She smiled cheerily, showing a row of chocolate stained teeth. "Sure!" He leaned over her, getting comfortably close as he put his eye up to the sight. He could hear her giggle and Camilla shout out a few harsh words to the girl as he looked.

He looked outside. The forest was very strange-looking through his fish-eyed view, but there was something odd about it. The way the trees were swaying… some of them were swaying against the breeze. It was a deep, old forest with not only a large, lush canopy, but also a large gathering of bushes within it, which hid most of the forest from their view. The entire place seemed to be crawling with vines, and bushes tangled together at the bases of tall trees.

And he couldn't shake off the feeling that the forest was creeping along with them… pressing in on the car and waiting. Craning his neck to see out of the front window, he saw a few very large trees hanging vines that almost stretched across the road.

"STOP THE CAR!" Leon shouted.

--

**Reader. Press play on the youtube video and read at this point. Remember, start at 3:20. Thank you, **

**-Dienekes**

_(Inside the royal palace of Albion) _

The force seemed to strike her more bluntly, like a solid punch to the center of her chest, but instead of hurting a bit, or getting sore, it just all got… so… heavy. Astaroshe soon found herself sinking. Her vision pivoted, like she was doing a flip, but she didn't remember doing a flip…

She fell with a thud. Her clothes were suddenly made of lead, and they pinned her to the ground. Her vision began to cloud. Her body was deteriorating quickly, but her mind could not keep up. She rolled her head over and watched Ion kill the two men and the doctor, ripping them to pieces with his hands, screaming, pulling out steaming organs and slamming them against the walls. The doctor held out his hands, shouted calmly, but Ion descended upon him and tore into him with his fangs in a senseless rage.

"No…" she whispered, reaching out just a few inches. It was all she could muster. She didn't even hear her own voice. She just felt a warm relaxation as red liquid poured out instead. It was all around her, warming her, in her hair.

The screaming and gunfire was far away now, like it was all going on underneath a lake, and she was on the grass above, listening as she lay in the sand.

Her hair was red again, like old times.

The heat made it feel like she was basking in the sun for the first time in her life. She smiled as she watched Ion protectively nurture Esther, cradling her in his arms. Then, she began to panic as blood blocked her airway, coughing until blood splattered out.

Esther's eyes fluttered open and she inhaled strongly, jerking upright in Ion's arms. She said a few words, and Ion calmed down, returning to normal.

Holding her neck, she wiggled out of Ion's arms, which reluctantly wanted to keep her… protect her, and she crawled towards Astaroshe. Astaroshe looked up at her, she'd stopped breathing. There was a heavy weight on her chest, crushing her and slowly pushing her body into the ground. The pain began to come, like a fire, spreading throughout her entire body.

Esther leaned over her, pale with blood-loss and bleeding still, and said something. "Astaroshe," Esther whispered raggedly.

"I'm sorry!" Astaroshe whimpered, squirming in pain. Her entire body went ridged as she cried out, and then retracted back in itself. "sorry…"

"It wasn't your fault, I forgive you," Esther whispered.

Asta smiled for just a moment, and then convulsed again, her legs kicking up in pain. Her body squirmed as if she moved enough the source of the pain would simply go away. She screamed again spit and blood flew out.

Gritting her teeth until they creaked with the force, she let out a shout of pain and then bit down again, one of the teeth broke. Her foot, conditioned to breaking men with swift kicks pounded holes in the floor, which, matted with her blood was getting slippery.

She lifted her shaky arm, forced it upward and grabbed Esther by the face. Ion tensed, but soon realized what was happening and stopped. Astaroshe's bloody hands left streaks of blood over Esther's already broken and bleeding face.

"LOVE HIM!" Asta cried out. "LO-HOOOVEE" her word was interrupted by a sharp dose of pain. "Like I WOULd hHAHHAA!!" She grit her teeth in frustration. "HAVE!" Esther stared back at her in horror, but nodded. With her other arm, she slammed it into the floor so hard it broke, but the pain could not get any more powerful. Her eyes rolled back as she shouted angrily at the pain.

She felt herself shivering. It was so cold. She was getting sleepy. "TELL HIM. TeLL Him THAHHHAATT!!" "AT I LOVE HIIIHIMMM Saaaoo MUCK!" she screamed frantically… quickly. She was running out of time.

"Ahm scrred," she whimpered sniffling through the mass of blood, twitching with pain. "ah nevorrrr thote ah wzz going to diee!" she was crying now, no longer the strong keen woman, who hid behind her own strength and bitterness to protect her fragile emotions. Her façade was done. She was gruesome, covered with her own blood. There was a large hole punched through her chest. "ahh wzz gonta be hiz wife fahevr!"

Her tears ran down her face and snot blew out of her nose as she gasped, quickly breathing in and exhaling, no longer looking at Esther, but straight upwards, fighting to stay alive.

"ABEL!" she screamed, clearing all of the blood and saliva out with one last push from her longs. "ABEL!" Her voice, sounding out resiliently, seemed to shake the floor.

Then, her outreached arm fell limp, and her eyes stayed staring up for a descending angel who never came. The last, lone tear dripped down from her eye and hit the ground in the one place blood had not splattered. Then it soaked into the carpet, and all that was left was a small wet circle, which slowly faded away.

Sobbing, Esther put her fingers over Astaroshe's eyes, and closed them. Astaroshe had stopped breathing, and Ion checked her pulse, even though her heart lay in fleshy pieces at the bottom of the hole in her stomach.

"Goodbye, comrade," Ion finally said dreamily.


	36. Chapter 11: Section 3

Trinity Blood: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 11: Deus Ex Machina**

**Section 3: Overpowered**

_(In a forest back road of Hispania) _

"Ignore him, captain!" Camilla shouted with heavy malice. Until this point, she had managed to ignore most of Leon's foolery, but he had crossed the line.

Having made sure there was no problem, the driver put the vehicle in gear with a few clunks of a big metal shifter. It began to pick up speed again, and soon, the green maze of the forest was passing them on both sides.

"If you do not stop interfering with our operation!" she growled over the churn of the wheels, barely keeping herself from jamming the butt of her weapon into his teeth, "I will be sure to make your interrogation a lot sooner than it was scheduled… no jokes… no laughs… no sexuality at all, there _will be _body parts that you will be missing, and you will not enjoy it. Is that clear?"

"This isn't a joke!" Leon pled, meeting her eyes with a cold intensity. She met his gaze, and saw that he was being sincere. There was no teasing sparkle in his eyes, or smile on his lips. He looked more… tense and serious. "Please… stop the car." _He's begging me. _

As she tried to think what he could be worried about, Leon glanced out of the front window nervously, seeing the hanging vines were just thirty yards off.

AX had seen this kind of thing before, and he knew that Camilla would not believe him for an instant if he were to say a Vampire was out there who was manipulating the forest. He needed time to explain.

"Yes, Captain stop the ca-"

She was never able to finish the sentence. A deafening boom sounded as the Troop transport was knocked by a huge force. It hung precariously in the air for a few moments on just half of it's wheels, tipping and groaning in midair, and then it fell to the ground, rumbling over the tangled roots which intertwined with the semi-cleared roadway.

When they finally came to a skidding halt, there was an alarm sounding in the vehicle, one gunner was screaming in pain from a wrist fracture, and smoke quickly filled the cramped interior. Leon found himself beneath a few shocked soldiers, limbs intertwined, and crammed against one of the portholes. He struggled up, dazed by the sudden change in momentum and sensory overload. The others cautiously began to stir, but none as quickly as Leon. He knew if he did not get his weapons soon he would be powerless against the forest outside.

But as he stumbled to his feet, Camilla aimed a gun square at his head, a bit of blood trickled from her scalp. "I'll execute you before your Vatican friends even get close," she growled.

There was a sudden screech of steel as the hatch was ripped, sheering steel, lifting the transport a few feet into the air and then dropping it. Camilla squeezed the trigger as she was thrown. Recovering her balance she saw that she'd hit Leon's kneecap. It wasn't what she had been aiming for, but it wasn't like inflicting a little pain on the bastard certainly wasn't a bad thing.

She readied her aim to finish the job, but before she could fire, she saw a flash of metal in Leon's hands. She instinctively fell backwards as an extremely fast object came right at her, flying sharply through the air. She squeezed off wild shot, which struck the ceiling of the vehicle and rattled inside.

Feeling a sharp jab of pain on her wrist, she saw that whatever Leon had thrown had cut her wrist in a long, deep line, which soon began to gush blood.

"VATICAN DOG!" she screamed in frustration, holding her heavily bleeding wrist. She went for her pistol again, struggling to lift it with her good hand in support. Before she could recover herself, Leon pushed her hands to the ground.

He'd dragged himself across the transport in just a few seconds, even with one completely useless leg, and now a disk-like metal blade was close enough to Camilla's pulsing neck for her to feel it's cold 

presence. Leon's firm hips then locked on her stomach, holding her arms in place. In an instant he could have killed her, but he only breathed heavily, looking into her eyes. She was at his complete mercy.

"It's not the Vatican, but _something _is attacking us!" Leon insisted darkly.

"Lieutenant! The forest!," one of the soldiers shouted, more concerned about what was going on outside rather than in. "It's coming inside!"

--

_(Inside the Pope's Quarters, in the Vatican) _

Alessandro first felt like he'd made a mistake when he came to his lessons. His free time was already extremely limited with all the work he was expected to do. But after he had his second lesson, Alessandro found himself missing the warm feelings he got during the hour-long periods.

Sister Pamela had it worked out with Mary, the mistress of the Vatican nunnery, so that every time there was a class, Pamela would have a legitimate excuse to attend, or at least be in the same area in a way that wouldn't arouse suspicion.

He wasn't sure if he enjoyed it more, or she, but he knew that they enjoyed it for different reasons. In his situation, not only as a vampire, but also as the Pope, he was not allowed to hold certain _feelings _for the nuns In his employ.

_The only reason she enjoys any of this is because I'm slightly engaging… maybe because these lessons interest her and I am the avenue to these lessons. It has nothing to do with any real desire to develop a deeper relationship with me. _

"Your holiness," Pamela said, snapping him out of his reflection.

"Yes?' Alessandro asked with concern. She always was so light and spontaneous, yet her mood now did not reflect it. Most other days, her smile remained steady, but her restless creativity kept the reasons 

for her smile in constant limbo. For the moment, though, she was displaying the closest thing to seriousness he'd seen.

He had retired to his study after the lesson, tired from lack of sleep. Sister Pamela was still wearing her nun's robes, and was probably assigned to research in the Vatican palace's personal library, which held writings form all the major historic writers.

"You told me to tell you if you did something wrong. Even a little thing," she said, shy at first. Alessandro nodded, beckoning her to continue. "I noticed something. When Paris was telling us about the shading lines. You were drawing them too rough. They stand out too much in the picture."

"Oh? Show me," Alessandro requested. He'd saved his sample from the earlier lesson, and dug it out form a few papers. Taking a small pencil, he began to shade, slowly dancing the pencil back and forth so it made a fine, dimming pattern.

"No…" she whispered, "like this."

She leaned in and put her hand on Alessandro's. He could feel her warmth invigorate his cold, pale skin, which had still not fully died and been renewed in his rebirth as a vampire.

Her gentle hands shivered a bit, slackening their grip, but she soon secured them again, letting their warmth burn against Alessandro as she guided his hand more gently, helping him draw a very smooth set of lines.

"Your hands are so cold," she finally commented as she continued to help him draw.

Alessandro suddenly felt a burning sensation, a sudden unease rising in his gut. "That's how I am. I'm not warm like you," he said back. Almost wanting to shut himself away. For that moment he never wanted to see her again.

"I can warm them up for you," she said intensely, looking into his eyes. She could see the indecision in his blinking eyes, cutting back and forth like cuts of pain in his heart. He was in terrible pain, and he needed someone who could help him.

Alessandro finally turned his gaze into hers, relaxing in her comforting grip. "Do you really think so?" he asked breathlessly. He wanted to trust her, but if she didn't meet him halfway, Alessandro knew the pain would probably be too much to bear.

"I want to…"

--

_(The fight within the ruins of the Queen's palace) _

"Ahahaha"

Cain began to laugh as Abel swung his fists repetitively, striking Cain's face, and each time coming back wet with his blood.

"HAHAHAHAHHA!"

He'd propped Cain up against the wall with his foot and was now beating him, fueled by what seemed to be an endless torrent of rage, but it had been many minutes now. Nothing much had changed.

Abel stopped for a moment, huffing.

"This is amusing, brother!" Cain said with a bloody smile.

Frustrated, Abel picked Cain up by the scruff of his bloody white robes, and threw him across the room, materializing a scythe in his hands. "DIE!" Abel cried out, swinging downward.

Strangely, Cain did not dodge or move, and it sank into his stomach. But as Abel tried to pull it up and strike again, he found that it was locked in place. Cain had grabbed the scythe and was holding it in his clenched gut. "You can't kill me like this, brother." Abel pulled up again, his arms shaking with exertion, but Cain just held the weapon steady.

"We've both merged 100. We've both lost our debilitating human or Methuselah compunctions." Cain grunted a little to keep it in place as Abel attempted again to fling him off. "what was ever there to begin with. We're something _greater now."_

"I'm not like you!" Abel said, still struggling with the weapon.

"Is it not strange that you gave your innocence to your nanomachines darkest whims to protect innocence?" Cain mused, "No, we're very close, you and I. We're different sides of the same coin. If I had allowed myself to be weakened by _her_, by her sentimental foolishness, I would be the same poor wreck you are now."

"NO!" Abel screamed. Electricity sprang from him, sparking with white-hot tendrils, grasping the entire area around him. The bolts set fire to carpet and wood, and singed the very air, but In a little circle around Cain, no electricity penetrated, mapping out the outlines of an invisible shield, behind which, Cain was smiling.

Abel's eyes opened wide when he realized it.

Deus Machina, God from the machine, lowered down for the audience to see. This play had just a single overpowering character that had yet to be introduced, one that would change everything. The name of this God was… Thurman Hubert.

Cain pulled himself up Abel's scythe, until they were face to face. To Cain, Abel looked dumbstruck, just like the time the poor Vatican Nun had left him speechless in the face of his power. Cain lifted his hand, ready to deliver the same finishing blow.

Three months before, Abel had been raiding this same storage area, having smelled some fresh food. In the wreckage that now surrounded him, he could remember exactly how the room once looked. Unable to open the steel, reinforced door, but incredibly hungry, Abel had attempted to kick a hole in the wood wall just to the left of the door itself. (As to reach through and unlock it)

But he'd been stopped.

Poor Thurman, a butler on the floor screamed that Abel would blow up the entire building. Little did he know at the time, that there was a series of bombs in the building that would be used to self destruct it. Abel had nearly punched his way into this bomb, which if cut off from the network by one severed wire, would explode.

With all the mice about, it didn't make sleeping in the palace very easy.

This little fact meant nothing by itself, considering Cain's shield… but…

"Let me join you brother," Abel whispered.

Cain stopped, his hands hovering right at Abel's stomach ready to pull the life-ending trigger. _Yes, _Cain thought. _Let him join me willingly. His nanomachines will be mine, and he will live within me as an equal. _They'd fought for so long, but Cain had always known that in the end, Abel would come to him_. I was always the stronger one. _He unfolded his angelic wings and flawless features came together in a warm smile.

Cain's invincible shield of condensed air dropped around him as he reached forward towards Abel's Jugular vein. He moved his mouth up to Abel's pale neck, the nanomachine-ridden Crusnik blood pulsing just beneath the surface. He moved in slowly, tenderly, like a lover with a devilish grin.

Abel watched his brother, feeling his hot breath descend upon his neck. Feeling each moist breath as he bared his fangs, and then the hot presence of his fangs as they sunk into his flesh, releasing a torrent of 

Abel's blood into Cain's waiting mouth. Cain's arms locked around him in a solid embrace.

He gulped, and licked his tongue against Abel's neck as it poured out, directing the gushing flow. Abel felt weak, fell to his knees. Cain fell with him.

Then, as his vision began to fail, Abel stirred his right arm, the one which held his materialized scythe. Cain felt the movement too, but ignored it in the ecstasy of his triumph and his new power. Abel could not stop him now, he hadn't the power to do any damage, and Cain could already feel a new energy flowing through his veins.

Abel locked his eyes on the crushed indent on the wall. Cain had dropped his defenses to make his unholy union with him. This joining was the only thing Cain absolutely had to entrust his body to. Now was the only opportunity anyone would have.

Abel struggled with his weak wrist, pulled the scythe back so it fell back to him loosely, and then with all his strength he swung it at the hole in the wall. "LILITH!" he called out.

A wave of fire streaked over him. He felt Cain finally break his fangs from him and look up calmly to see that he was completely washed over by flames. A black figure in the swirling heat, Cain rose to his feet, from where he had been shielding Abel from the fire, and then Cain's shadow melted into dust.

Abel felt his own flesh bubble and sear with indescribable pain. Whatever tears he shed evaporated instantly in the blaze.

Seconds later, he was gone.

His body, his conscious, his very _soul_ scattered in the blaze in the form of little nanomachines, the unholy essence of his being. But, for the time, his body was no more.

--

_(Outside the Palace of Albion) _

The crowd fell silent as Esther finally emerged from the smoking ruins of the palace, helped along by three men, her regal dress soaked in blood, and her soft face broken and lacerated. She walked, conscious of their fear, and gazed over them through cloudy eyes.

For the last few steps to the stage, she shrugged off her assistance, and stumbled to the podium, holding on with her shivering hands.

The crowd held their breath in anticipation as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Thank you all for your assistance," she said slowly, getting her bearings on the stage. No sooner had she finished when silence swallowed the place again.

"I have many to thank for what we accomplished here today, finally purging the enemy from within ourselves… but there are a lot of people that deserve credit who you all probably would not expect. Vampires from the New Human Empire like Astaroshe Asran and Vatican agents like… Abel Nightroad," she began breathing raggedly and blinking in an attempt to hold back the tears.

She'd found what was left of his scorched ashes by his pendant. There was little else that remained of his body from what had occurred there.

_I love you Abel, _she thought, overwhelmed by the tragedy of what had happened. _If only we had met in more peaceful times, we could have been together. But we both had our duties. _

"Both have passed away… along with countless of our countrymen…" she nearly broke down again, but fought to compose herself.

"Don't think of them," she called out hoarsely, tears still fresh on her face "as vampires or foreigners. Think of them as comrades… as our friends, brothers, companions…"

Standing in the crowd, Jacob murmured his agreement.

"We have a long way to go, and we need to be open minded. Hatred and strife will accomplish us nothing except more violence. We need to move forward."

Esther felt her words tumble out senselessly as she got disoriented. She just couldn't think of a way to inspire or move them. She didn't have the heart for it.

"Thank you all."

She stumbled away, and dragged her feet towards the waiting doctors, ready to collapse. Her spirit was sucked dry, and her feet were sore and bruised.

She wanted to lie down, and never rise again. "Abel…" Even as the roaring applause erupted behind her, she couldn't feel like she'd changed anything, or that she ever had.

--

_(Inside the royal Palace of Albion) _

"I'm sorry Astaroshe… I missed it." Seth knelt next to the Duchess, examining her wounds. They were beyond treatable. She was gone.

"You could always be there for Abel in a way I couldn't be." She ran a single finger through Astaroshe's dyed-red -hair with her own small, childlike hands.

"He deserved you."

Note: This **is not the end**. There is one more chapter to follow, in which a lot of things will be resolved. As much as I love tragedy, I couldn't leave this series on a note like this.


	37. Chapter 12

Trinity Blood: Shattered Uniformity

**Chapter 11: Afterwards**

Note: Miraculous revivals? :0 I thought the regenerative prowess of the 100 merged Krusniks was well known!

Note: I can't help but feel as if my writing has degenerated towards the end… I had so many little things going on in the beginning and middle of my story, and if I've disappointed anyone I'm sorry.

**About 200 Years Later **

_(The Eastern Summit, Byzantium) _

Seth watched the delegates enter the Byzantium conference room one after another. It stood on the same ground where the Empress had once taken formal messages from the Vampire nobles. Now it was a dark marble room with a circular table.

So much had changed in the few hundred years since Abel's death. The New Human Empire was no longer a single authoritarian body ruled by her sole authority, but now it was a federation of independently run states, most of which were democratically ruled.

In Byzantium, which was still regarded as the Capital of the loose confederation, the changes were the most liberal. Terrans and Methuselah were seamlessly integrated with very little violence between the two groups.

"It seems as if the Nile delegation has finally arrived," said the Duchess under her breath. She was the ruler of Volodia, or what was known before the Armageddon as Ukraine.

Seth smirked at the sight of Ion Fortuna, accompanied by his quaint bride, even in the Summit. In the two hundred years since the events in Albion, Ion had aged to become a tall, messy-haired blond with a serious attentiveness. His features had hardened considerably and his round face had sharpened, but his childlike stubbornness still showed in his eyes. Even at this age, he clung to Michelle like a protective watchdog.

Michelle, a soft-eyed young Terran turned Methuselah, seemed scared enough to always be ready to accept Ion's protection, which he always loved to give. He and Esther had a brief love affair, but she'd never been able to completely forget Abel, and when Duke Erin and Esther married for political reasons, it was more than Ion could take.

But he'd found a new woman. Ion's mating marks shone prominently on her soft neck.

Finally, he had found a girl who needed him as much as he needed her. She waited in the corner, examining the other delegates with suspicion.

The leaders of Cyprus, Ottomia, and Mesopotamia had already arrived, and as expected, the leader of the turbulent Algeria did not seem to be coming.

"Let's begin" Seth announced, rising to her feet. "Duchess, I believe you had something to report."

"Yes," the Duchess began, eying the other delegates from beneath her sharp, red hair. "Reports of rebellion from New-Budapest are leaking in. Vampire loyalists have sent messages of possibly seeking asylum in my country."

"If we were to take such an action," Seth cut in. "We would possibly be seen to have affiliated ourselves with the actions of the Methuselah extremists in South-Italy Ionia."

"We can ill-afford getting any involvement in that mess. It's as if the whole of the Vatican is ripping itself apart," Ion added.

"We've already taken human refugees!" the Duchess pressed. "it would be only fair…"

Cutting the Duchess off, the door slammed open, striking against the walls and rattling in their hinges. A single figure rushed forward, shoes slapping against the cold stone, pursued by a few guards. The guards quickly drew their weapons and aimed before the intruder could get close to the delegates, but the messenger only knelt down, breathing heavily.

"Hold your fire," Seth said.

"I'm here from Ionia. Alessandro wants me to tell you something of great importance…" the messenger gulped with the exertion, parting his lips slowly and exposing his elongate canines for just a moment.

"We've already told him our position of neutrality in the Vatican civil war isn't negotiable," Seth said warningly. Seth had matured in the few hundred years, and had even been approached by a few potential suitors. She'd humored them, but never committed. They always seemed so empty. And diplomatically, she had a warm, yet stubborn demeanor.

"Yes, I know that," the messenger said impatiently, looking up. "He said that the father has been awoken."

_The father? _

"Is that it?" the Duchess asked softly, but clearly.

"He said you'd understand."

--

_(In an underground facility in Northeastern Sicily) _

Abel woke up naked, the cool air running past his exposed skin. He felt sluggish, as if awakening from a long slumber. Opening his eyes slowly, he was overwhelmed by the brightness of the pure white room. The sole distinguishing thing about the plain room was a mirror on one side, a pile of black clothes next to him, and a bright light overhead.

Stirring slowly and shielding his eyes from the bright light, Abel sat upright and began to dress.

They'd left him the same black robes of AX which he'd worn before the fight in Londinium. Finished, he examined himself in the mirror.

His features were slightly different than he remembered. His face was a bit more distinguished, and his hair had a very light blond coloration.

He was shocked to attention by a speaker which was mounted neck to the lights. "Am I talking to Abel Nightroad?" he voice asked. He could vaguely recognize it.

"Yes," he called out loudly.

"I'm glad to see you again, father, do you recognize my voice?" the voice sounded light, like a child's but had an adult sophistication.

Abel searched his faded memory, finding that most of his memories were in a blur like someone had taken them and put them in a blender. "I don't know…" Abel said scratching his head. The loudspeaker in the room went silent.

The plain white door at the front of the room opened noiselessly, and a figure, shadowed by the brilliant white light, stepped in. "They told me there was a possibility that you would… no longer be yourself, father Nightroad."

Abel felt the sudden urge to crush the man like an insect. How dare he think to understand exactly who he was, or how he would act? What gave this man the right?

When Alessandro stepped into the light, Abel saw exactly how he'd aged. He now looked like a young man, with long dark brown hair, and had long lost his deer-in-the-headlights demeanor.

"Ah yes, you're the Pope of that little Terran empire," Abel said with a chuckle. His words sounded strange coming even from his own mouth, as if voiced by another and simply broadcasted through his vocal chords.

"Ex-Pope… Pope still to my followers, but they do not constitute much of the Vatican at this point." _I see, much has changed. _

"How long have I been unconscious?" Abel asked.

Alessandro smirked and began to chuckle. "What's so funny?" Abel demanded.

"You've been dead, Abel. For two hundred years."

"Ah yes…" Abel said, thinking back. He remembered the flames, the tears, the disbelief and anger.

"The nanomachines in your body that make you what you are, a Crusnik, have merged with your body. It's a very peculiar thing. Even when all that makes up your body is gone, the nanomachines reconstruct it. They are your mind, and your mind are they. It would seem that they understand their best path to survival and prosperity is through the form of your body and thus have recreated it on their own accord. It seems as if they house your very soul. We tried introducing these to Methuselah blood, of course, but the Crusnik nanomachines simply devour the Methuselah body like a prey."

"How very poetic," Abel said with a demeaning laugh. He felt like slapping himself. He never remembered being so cold.

"So Esther is dead?" Abel asked softly.

"Yes."

"And Caterina?"

"Sister died of illness just a few years after you did. Either that, or was assassinated, I'm still unsure."

"Assassinated?"

"The coup on Rome came just a few months after her death. She died abroad, mourning at your tomb in Albion. Esther constructed it… your tomb was the center of a large public building. It had child-care, classes for reformed criminals, a library… it's a very beautiful structure which dominates Londinium even today. She named it Nightroad center."

Abel couldn't keep himself from smiling warmly at the gesture, but still, part of him felt angered.

"She married to Duke Erin of Ireland, but it was common knowledge that her first marriage was to that center, and to your tomb. She visited it every day." Alessandro smile, knowing that Abel wanted to know as much as he could.

"They had children. King Abel the second now Rules Albion. He is the fourth from Esther herself."

"I'm moved…" Abel said in a whisper.

"Of course, I had to steal your remains from the center, so King Abel and me currently on the best of terms. They had your remains constantly bombarded by heat and cold to keep them scrambled."

"Why?" Abel asked incredulously.

"Because…" Alessandro considered his next words carefully. "They had no way of distinguishing your nanomachines from those of your brother."

"So that means…" Abel looked at himself in the mirror again, and saw there was more to the change in his appearance than just aging. "That he's within me?"

"Or you're within him, which also seems possible."

Abel suddenly understood his indecision. He bit his lip, and then lunged forward, grabbing Alessandro by the neck and lifting him from the ground. "So now what are you going to do?" Abel muttered. He could feel the hunger rising in him. He bared his fangs and moved in.

--

_(In an Airship, heading west from the Byzantium summit) _

"Duchess," Yakiv said, kneeling before her. He had been turned a hundred years ago, after having distinguished himself in black operations during the Hungarian power struggles. The Duchess liked to keep her hands in the affairs of her neighbors. She could not afford to have ignorant Terrans war mongering at her doorstep.

"The summit went as I expected, until the very end." The Duchess' heart fluttered in her chest, when she thought about the implications of what the man had said.

"So they rejected the Asylum, then? " Yakiv asked, raising a dark eye from the ground. He always had a dark kind of smirk on his gaunt face.

"Yes, but fortunately for us, the affairs of our own country are our business… the meeting is more just to suggest courses of action. Seth is free to suggest we do nothing when her small state is embedded safely in the bosom of like-minded countries."

"So take the refugees like we planned?" Yakiv asked.

"Yes… take them, arm them, and train them, yourself if need be. We'll send them back into the fray supplemented with our own forces."

"Understood Duchess, your will is my command." Yakiv bowed and walked away, leaving the Duchess alone. She always liked to be alone.

Yakiv parted the black curtain which separated the Duchess' dark room form the rest of the craft, and sat in the chair next to the curtain. She'd always had a haunted demeanor, pushing through things as if in a dream.

When she was awarded control of the Volodian territory after Seth's reforms a hundred and fifty years prior, she completely turned away from her inconsiderate neglect of her country.

Something had changed her. With care and great thought, she enacted programs to modernize the Volodian economy, create infrastructure for clean water treatment roads, and laws which gave Terrans limited rights inside of the country.

When she relinquished control of the country, she was nominated without having to campaign, and elected with a very sizeable majority, and since she had been trudging along, helping the country become one of the strongest and most prosperous in the Eastern Union.

But the entire time, she was consumed with a great depression and sadness. It was the kind of solemn sorrow that drew Yakiv. Through his service, he had been able to get close to her, but unfortunately she always kept him at arm's length just like her own feelings. But he was fine with just going off and doing his dirty work.

He looked back at the black curtain, hoping in vain that his services would earn him her respect.

--

_(In the Palace of Albion) _

King Abel wrung his hands together, sitting at the large oak desk which Queen Esther herself had sat. A single black feather rested prominently on the corner, in an ornate golden fastening. Beneath it was an inscription.

_My love, that I might follow your example._

As much as she created a legacy of her love for Abel, the savoir of Albion, she also warned harshly of Cain, who had nearly destroyed Albion. This is what made the situation so difficult.

Now, Abel and Cain's Nanomachines, which were once locked in constant temperature bombardment in the middle of the Abel memorial were gone, stolen by Vatican separatists, and three guards were dead.

"What are your orders, your Excellency?" Jameson requested.

King Abel the second grimaced. He had no choice. Cain being revived, even in the guise of the kindly priest with which his great great grandmother had fallen so deeply in love, was nevertheless a grave threat to Albion. "This attack by Alessandro and his separatists is a direct attack on Albion itself," King Abel began, knowing the gravity of what he was about to order. "Tell Military Command to bombard Alessandro's forces in Sicily, and then launch a military assault. Tres and the ASW are to retrieve the nanomachines after incinerating … after incinerating… Abel's body." It was a strange thing to do, order the death of someone after which he was named.

"Understood, Excellency," Jameson said, snapping a smart salute.

"Forgive me Esther."

--

_(In an underground facility in Northeastern Sicily) _

They attached one wire to each limb and had them pulled taut. In Abel's weakened state, it was enough to restrain him. He mumbled softly as one of Alessandro's men continued to administer sedatives.

"Now we know why they never allowed the Nanomachines to reassemble," Alessandro muttered, looking into the face of the Crusnik before them. Was he Cain or Abel? He couldn't tell.

"This was a mistake, we should just incinerate him and send his remains back to Albion," Pamela said, walking up to rub Alessandro's shoulders. Alessandro smiled, and relaxed into her knowing hands.

"We've fought for a long time without him, but he sure as hell would have made things a lot easier," Alessandro said with a shrug.

A man ran in, breathing heavily. "Sir, we got a security breach!" Alessandro turned, and saw that he had been splattered with blood.

"Contain it! Keep a secure exit, we may need to evacuate!" As the subordinate ran off to deliver his orders, Alessandro materialized a blade on his forearm and nodded to Pamela, who hefted an assault rifle. This would not be the first time they'd needed to fight themselves.

The fighting was quickly moving towards them. Just a minute after the messenger had left, Alessandro could hear the sounds of battle in the Atrium of his cavern. "This is it," he said to Pamela.

She aimed her assault rifle at the door, ready.

It wasn't a few seconds after the noises of battle in the atrium stopped that footsteps approached the door rapidly from the hallway. Pamela opened fire with her high velocity rounds, blowing small holes through the door and sending bits of hot lead into the hallway.

She finished her clip, having thoroughly doused the hallway with bullets. Before she could administer a fresh clip, a solid force from the hallway launched the door inwards and made it fly off of its hinges. A tall, lone figure entered calmly.

She was wearing what looked like a small black dress with a cut on the inside to allow for her legs to move easily. They were long and muscular, topped off by black boots. At the top of her solid frame was her exposed neck, showing a cloth pendant which she wore as an amulet. Her face was sharp, and covered with an Order out of Chaos haircut, gleaming red hair parted to both sides of her shoulders, except for a single grouping which hung defiantly down past her nose. Her catlike glowing eyes were rested on Alessandro and her thin, lipstick covered lips were curved in a sharp grin.

"I suggest you don't fight. The others didn't seem to want to listen," she said confidently.

"Speak your piece," Alessandro said suspiciously examining this female intruder. She was definitely Methuselah. No human could have just cut through the best of his forces.

"I'm here to see the father," she replied, pacing forwards.

--

Abel stirred after struggling with the foggy darkness for a few more minutes, and opened his eyes. When he did, he saw someone vaguely familiar staring back at him.

"Who are you?" Abel asked.

"Astaroshe Asran, the Empress of Volodia," she announced, eyes keenly trained on his reaction. They were narrowed, and very perceptive, but they were also soft with something else… was it fear… or was it pain?

Abel, still not able to recall her, just sighed.

"Apparently I loved you," Astaroshe said softly, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

Abel's gaze swept up to her, running over her features. Yes, now he slightly remembered this girl. She had been the first who wasn't terrified of his true form. She also had a commanding presence that made him shiver at times.

"Apparently?" Abel asked.

This time it was Asta's turn to sigh as she prepared to tell her story. "When I passed away in Albion, Seth began working to sustain my body, even though it had already died, delivering oxygen to my brain and bloodstream, pumping my blood, stimulating my dead body with electricity. For some reason she didn't want to see me go, so she did something to me."

Abel already realized. There were many clues. The slight red glow of her mostly yellow eyes, the presence he had felt even in his unconscious state…

"She injected me with some of her nanomachines… that didn't prove to be enough, so she also took some of your nanomachines and Cain's and injected me with them as well. Remember there was enough of them in that pile for two 100-merged Crusniks, yet here you are, alone…"

"But that's impossible," Abel said, narrowing his eyes.

"Yes, they tore up my body, but Seth kept working to keep it from being completely devoured. She introduced the Crusnik cells to portions of my body at a time, and then even made some biochemical adjustments to me, experimenting on herself in the process. My memories were completely scrambled."

"So the fact that I am two bodies in one… that is your fault?" Abel asked. If she hadn't received the nanomachines, Cain and Abel's bodies would have been able to materialize.

"I suppose so," she said with a smile.

Abel lashed against the restraints, letting out a angry yell. Astaroshe growled and struck him in the side of the jaw. The minor concussive force on his brain stem caused Abel to lose control of his body. He regained it, and looked up at her with hate.

She looked down, her own lips rising to flash her canines.

She lunged first, but Abel met her nearly halfway. Their lips connected roughly, hungrily, as if finally getting to eat after years of starvation. Their tongues danced together in the halls of their mouths as Asta pulled Abel close running her hands down his back. He put a hand in her red hair, stroking it, as his other hand firmly clenched her thigh, pulling her into him. The restraints no longer seemed to be a question. They were torn easily from the walls in which they were secured. Abel's senses were afire with passion.

She finally pulled away, gasping. "I waited," she said. "I barely knew who you were, but Seth told me everything and I waited for you for two hundred years… waited for my chance."

"I love you Asta," Abel said breathlessly, looking into her soulful yellow eyes. Those eyes that always seemed predatory, but were only hiding her own tender feelings. When he said this, her eyes went wide with love, and she threw himself into his arms, holding him like she never wanted to let go, sobbing with joy.

Part of him really did love her. The other part knew to use her to get himself out of this prison and on his own two feet again. He didn't know which was more powerful, but he knew for now, he wanted to be with her, Astaroshe Asran. She finally let herself smile, not smirk, or demean someone, but actually smile for herself.

"Come home with me, Abel," Asta said, running a finger over his jaw. "I have a palace waiting, and I need to introduce my people to their new Emperor."

"What about us?" Alessandro asked.

Astaroshe glanced over to him with annoyance. "I think we'll be getting involved in this whole affair very soon…" she said.

--

_(Inside the Royal Palace of Albion) _

King Abel sat down next to his queen, with a single arm around her, holding her close.

"Empress Seth sent word today, honey," she whispered in her same, shy voice. "She warned us that some of her states would be taking action to get involved in the affairs of Budapest and Ionia. She remains completely dedicated to peace."

Abel squeezed her tightly, pondering the question of Sicily. "If Abel truly has been revived, no army in the world will stop him," he said.

"I think it's time we take the X-nanomachines and put them to use."

During the two hundred years of captivity, some vampire technicians had examined the Crusnik Nanomachines, and attempted to modify Methuselah machines to mimic their behaviors. The experiments had been very fruitful, but the prospect of creating another Crusnik always seemed to be more dangerous than was necessary.

Another interesting prospect they had explored was the possibility of neutralizing the Crusnik cells with chemical cocktails. They'd need every trick at their disposal to wage this war.

"Whatever you do, honey, I'll support you," Queen Claire said, resting a hand on his.


End file.
